!    THE  \>vOkKl 


j  i .  i 


RIBS 


BV  1471  .T46  1920 

Thomas,  Marion.  . 

The  primary  worker  and  work 


The  Worker  and  Work  Series 

HENRY  H.  MEYER,  Editor 


The  Primary 
Worker  and  Wor 


MARION  THOMAS  '^'"''^'"• 


THE  ABINGDON  PRESS 

NEW  YORK  .  CINCINNATI 


Copyright  1920,  by 
MARION  THOMAS 


First  Edition  Printed  January,  1920 
Reprinted  October,  1920;  June,  1921 


The  Bible  text  used  in  this  volume  is  taken  from  the  American  Standard 
Edition  of  the  Revised  Bible.  Copyright,  1901,  by  Thomas  Nelson  &  Sons, 
and  is  used  by  permission. 


CONTENTS 
chapter  page 

Laborers  Together  with  God 5 

I.  New  Teacher's  First  Sunday 9 

II.  An  Hour  with  a  Skilled  Teacher 15 

III.  Margaret  and  Norma,  Stanley,  Leonardo,  and 

Victor 22 

IV.  The  Primary  Child  in  the  Making 30 

V.  The  Primary  Child  as  He  Is 38 

VI.  The  Primary  Child  in  the  Sunday  School 46 

VII.  That  the  Child  May  Become 52 

VIII.  The  Primary  Course  of  Study 57 

IX.  Every  Child  Loves  a  Story 62 

X.  Word-Picturing 67 

XI.  The  Technique  of  Story-Telling 72 

XII.  Uses  op  Pictures  in  Primary  Teaching 77 

XIII.  Helping  the  Child  to   Make  the  Lesson  His 

Own 84 

XIV.  Concerning    the    Choice    of    Materials    and 

Forms  of  Handwork 89 

XV.  Helping  the  Child  to  Build  the  Lesson  into 

His  Character 95 

XVI.  Worship  in  the  Primary  Department 100 

XVII.  How  TO  Plan  a  Primary  Program 105 

XVIII.  A  Primary  Program  for  a  Sunday  in  November  110 

XIX.  A  Primary  Room  and  Its  Equipment 115 

XX.  How  to  Maintain  Interest.  , 123 

XXI.  Promotions  and  Promotion  Requirements 130 

XXII.  The  Priimary  Department  and  the  Home 136 

XXIII.  The  Department  Organized  for  Work 141 

XXIV.  Where  the  Responsibility  Rests 147 

Appendices 151-156 


LABORERS  TOGETHER  WITH  GOD 

Those  are  important  years  of  life  which  lie  between  the 
door  of  the  kindergarten,  as  it  swings  outward,  and  the 
great  portal  which  opens  before  the  child  at  the  reading 
age  and  bids  him  enter  the  sunny  fields  of  story  and  verse 
and  gather  for  himself  at  will.  In  these  years  when  the 
child  is  six,  seven,  and  eight  years  old,  he  is  said  to  be 
in  the  primary  period.  It  is  here  that  elements  of  person- 
ality begin  to  manifest  themselves  and  the  foundations  of 
individual  character  are  laid.  Here  innate  and  inherited 
tendencies  are  seen,  motive  powers  which  lie  behind  the 
child's  thought  and  action,  requiring  in  some  cases  develop- 
ment, in  others  inhibition,  but  always  to  be  reckoned  with. 
In  these  years  the  child  grows  rapidly.  New  interests 
spring  up,  others  that  were  absorbing  a  few  months  ago 
are  cast  aside.  Each  year  of  the  developing  life  is  a 
study  in  itself,  and  each  individual  child  differs  in  many 
ways  from  any  other  of  his  group.  It  is  said  that  it  is 
impossible  to  teach  a  child  whom  one  does  not  understand, 
and  yet  in  our  church  schools  it  often  happens  that  a 
young  girl  with  no  experience  in  dealing  with  children, 
and  with  no  special  preparation  for  teaching,  is  asked 
to  take  a  class  in  the  Primary  Department.  She  accepts 
because  of  the  urgency  of  the  appeal,  her  desire  to  be  of 
service,  and  her  love  for  little  children;  but  she  soon  finds 
that  none  of  these  excellent  reasons  for  assuming  the  re- 

5 


6        LABORERS  TOGETHER  WITH  GOD 

sponsibility  furnish  any  light  concerning  the  way  in  which 
it  may  be  properly  discharged. 

One  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  help  that  inexperienced 
teacher  to  know  the  child,  to  see  the  gateways  through 
which  truth  will  most  easily  find  access  to  his  life,  and  to 
learn  anew  that  she  must  herself  be  that  which  she  wishes 
the  child  to  become  as  she  leads  him  to  the  Father.  Again 
the  book  aims  to  give  the  teacher  such  a  vision  of  her 
task  that  she  will  realize  the  wonderful  opportunity  it  pre- 
sents, and  desire  to  measure  up  to  it  fully.  Then  there  is 
help  for  the  teaching  process.  Through  concrete  examples 
the  teacher  is  shown  how,  and  by  questions  and  suggestions 
is  led  to  formulate  principles.  But  the  appeal  of  the  book 
is  not  alone  to  new  teachers.  There  is  a  charm  and  fresh- 
ness about  the  author's  presentation  which  will  make  it 
of  intense  interest  to  all  primary  teachers,  and  none  can 
read  these  chapters  without  gaining  new  inspiration  and 
new  points  of  view. 

The  superintendent  of  the  Primary  Department  also  has 
a  large  responsibility.  She  must  so  organize  her  forces 
that  the  work  will  be  done  with  the  least  friction  and  the 
greatest  efficiency.  The  equipment  of  the  room,  a  seem- 
ingly mechanical  detail,  is  a  vital  factor  in  religious  edu- 
cation, for  each  item,  if  wisely  chosen,  helps  teachers  and 
pupils  to  work  rapidly  and  in  comfort,  or  takes  its  place 
among  the  silent  teachers  which  exert  so  powerful  an 
influence  over  the  child. 

To  arrange  the  service  of  worship  through  which  the 
child  is  led  to  praise  and  pray  in  a  childlike  way,  and  to 
plan  the  whole  program  of  the  hour  so  that  there  may 
be  variety  without  confusion  and  perfect  economy  of  time 


LABORERS  TOGETHER  WITH  GOD       7 

— these  and  many  other  duties  fall  upon  the  shoulders 
of  the  superintendent.  In  this  book  valuable  suggestions 
have  been  given  to  the  executive  head  of  the  Primary 
Department  by  one  who  had  herself  met  the  administrative 
problems  of  that  position  and  solved  them  successfully 
in  the  laboratory  of  experience. 

It  has  been  said  by  one  who  knew  Miss  Thomas  well 
that  "everything  she  wrote  was  a  model  of  religious 
pedagogy."  That  is  unquestionably  true,  for  technically 
her  work  measures  up  to  the  highest  standards.  But  it  is 
the  spirit  that  giveth  life,  and  her  message  will  live  be- 
cause it  is  animated  by  the  beautiful  Christian  spirit  which 
illumined  all  that  she  wrote.  She  appreciated  the  dignity 
of  her  calling  as  a  laborer  together  with  God,  and  the 
last  lines  she  wrote  as  she  laid  down  her  pen  and  ceased 
at  once  to  work  and  live  are  a  call  to  all  teachers  to 
realize  their  high  privilege  as  coworkers  with  him.  So, 
she,  being  dead,  yet  speaketh,  and  though  absent  from  us 
she  still  lives  and  will  continue  to  live  on  earth  in  the 
thoughts  and  deeds  of  thousands  of  little  children  and  their 
teachers. 

Henry  H.  Meyer, 

December  10.  1919. 


CHAPTER  I 
NEW  TEACHER'S  FIRST  SUNDAY 

In  the  Primary  Department  there  was  a  class  without 
a  teacher.  A  young  senior  had  volunteered  to  take  it,  and 
the  children  who  were  to  be  her  pupils  were  awaiting  her 
arrival  on  the  first  morning  of  what  she  afterward  re- 
ferred to  as  her  great  adventure.  They  called  her  "New 
Teacher." 

The  class  was  somewhat  unusual  and  had  earned  the 
reputation  of  being  "difficult."  There  were  both  boys  and 
girls  in  the  class,  and  they  were  about  eight  years  old. 
The  boys  disapproved  of  the  presence  of  girls  and  some- 
times refused  to  sit  next  to  them.  The  girls  resented  the 
boys'  disapproval  and  treatment  and  were  ready  at  all 
times  to  criticize  their  boyish  manners,  to  ridicule  them 
when  they  failed  to  make  a  perfect  recitation,  and  to 
report  their  misconduct.  Where  there  should  have  been 
cooperation  and  interest  there  were  usually  disorder  and 
inattention — conditions  which,  if  they  prevail,  make  teach- 
ing impossible.  But  of  these  conditions  New  Teacher  knew 
nothing. 

When  she  took  the  chair  reserved  for  her  at  the  head 
of  the  table  she  found  herself  looking  into  eyes  of  brown, 
blue,  and  gray — eight  pairs  of  them. 

"The  eyes  of  a  child  are  keen, 
Keen  as  the  lances  of  light," 

and  New  Teacher  felt  that  the  children  looking  so  intently 
and  questioningly  at  her  were  appraising  her,  estimating 
her   strength   and  her   weaknesses — and   they   were.      She 


10  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

became  fearful  and  doubtful — doubtful  of  the  adequacy  of 
her  preparation  for  teaching,  of  her  ability  to  teach,  and  of 
the  wisdom  of  her   decision. 

Swiftly  New  Teacher  recalled  her  reasons  for  accepting 
the  position — her  unrest  at  being  in  a  class  where  she 
was  taught,  her  longing  to  discover  her  own  powers  and 
to  test  her  own  strength,  her  desire  for  service  and  to  be 
about  her  Father's  business,  her  love  for  little  children, 
and,  finally,  the  appeal  that  had  been  made  for  a  teacher 
for  a  class  badly  in  need  of  one.  She  wondered  if  all 
these  reasons  taken  together  were  sufficiently  strong  to 
warrant  her  being  in  the  position  in  which  she  found 
herself.      She   could   not   decide. 

These  thoughts  were  undercurrents.  She  hoped  that 
not  a  ripple  of  them  showed  upon  the  surface,  in  her 
face  or  in  her  eyes.  Even  while  she  was  thinking  them 
and  struggling  to  overcome  her  nervousness  and  timidity 
she  was  making  the  acquaintance  of  the  children,  telling 
her  name  and  asking  for  theirs. 

The  girls  were  shy.  They  gave  their  names  so  softly 
that  it  was  with  difficulty  that  they  could  be  heard.  The 
boys  volunteered  not  only  their  names  but  the  names  of 
previous  teachers  and  a  short  history  of  the  class.  It 
became  evident  that  to  "know  something"  and  to  be  in- 
teresting while  causing  others  to  know  are  prerequisites 
for  a  teacher  of  eight-year-old  children.  The  boys  were 
continuing  to  tell  what  they  liked  to  do  and  which  Bible 
stories  they  liked  best  to  hear  when  quiet  music  was  heard, 
and  it  became  evident  that  the  session  of  the  department 
was  about  to  begin. 

1.  The  teacher's  attitude  and  manner.  New  Teacher 
had  a  reverent  spirit,  and  quickly  she  laid  aside  her  pencil 
and  the  little  notebook  in  which  she  had  been  recording 
the  names  of  her  pupils  and  became  attentive.  Watching 
her,  the  children  followed  her  example.  She  did  not  real- 
ize it,  but  this  act  on  the  part  of  the  boys  indicated  that 
they  had  discovered  in  her  an  element  of  strength.     It  had 


NEW  TEACHER'S  FIRST  SUNDAY  11 

not  been  their  custom  to  come  to  order  quite  so  quickly, 
but  there  was  something  about  New  Teacher  which  made 
them  feel  that  it  was  not  prudent  to  play  or  to  "show  off" 
or  to  defy  her  on  so  short  an  acquaintance.  It  is  not  prob- 
able that  they  thought  about  what  they  were  doing  or 
why  they  were  doing  it.  They  acted  on  impulse,  but  that 
impulse  had  for  its  excitant  an  attitude,  a  manner,  a  force- 
fulness  of  character  on  the  part  of  the  teacher  which 
made   itself  felt. 

2.  The  importance  of  preparation  for  teaching. 
Later  the  children  tested  her.  It  was  during  the  lesson 
period.  She  had  prepared  her  lesson  the  best  she  knew 
how.  She  had  given  much  time  and  thought  to  it,  but  she 
had  had  no  training  for  teaching.  The  textbook,  given  her 
by  the  superintendent,  was  not  the  first  of  the  course  or 
even  the  first  of  the  year.  It  gave  few  suggestions  for 
the  preparation  of  a  lesson.  She  had  not  known  what  to 
do  with  it.  Consequently,  her  preparation  was  of  her  own 
originating. 

She  thought  back  into  her  own  childhood  to  recall  how 
she  was  taught,  but  she  could  remember  neither  lessons  nor 
methods.  Hers  was  a  memory  for  incidents,  experiences, 
and  pictures.  She  saw  over  again  the  pictures  that  hung 
on  the  Sunday-school  walls;  she  remembered  certain  black- 
board illustrations.  She  recalled  her  fear  of  certain  big 
boys  who  tried  to  trip  her  up  as  she  passed  down  the 
room  to  her  class,  and  certain  big  girls  who  teased  her 
and  made  believe  try  on  her  gloves  and  take  her  muff. 
She  realized  that  there  was  no  help  in  reveries  like  these 
and  prepared  to  teach  her  lesson  in  the  way  she  had  been 
taught  in  the  class  she  had  left. 

3.  A  first  experience  in  teaching.  When  the  lesson 
period  arrived  New  Teacher  opened  the  Bible  that  had 
been  provided  for  her  use  and  read  the  lesson  passage.  The 
children  listened  and  seemed  interested.  Then  she  began 
to  read  each  verse  and  to  talk  about  it.  Almost  instantly 
she  had  occasion  to  wonder  if  she  were  teaching  in  the 


12  THE  PRIMARY  WQRKER  AND  WORK 

right  way;  for  the  girls  began  to  talk  to  each  other,  and 
the  boys  slyly  to  kick  and  punch  one  another.  When  she 
asked  for  their  attention,  they  looked  curiously  at  her, 
as  if  she  might  be,  after  all,  of  the  same  pattern  as  several 
former  teachers.  At  length  she  abandoned  her  plans, 
opened  her  textbook,  and  read  the  story  given  there.  She 
had  not  supposed  that  a  story  was  a  lesson.  She  was 
surprised  to  see  the  children  settle  down  to  listen  and  at 
the  effect  that  the  story  had  upon  them.  Before  she  had 
finished  it,  the  classes  were  called  together  for  the  clos- 
ing service  of  worship,  and  she  promised  to  read  the  rest 
of  it  next  Sunday.  She  wondered  why  the  story  had  been 
a  success  and  her  lesson  a  failure.  She  realized  that  she 
did  not  know  how  to  teach  children,  and  that  she  must 
learn  how  if  she  was  to  be  the  teacher  of  these  children 
or  of  any. 

She  felt  instinctively  that  to  excuse  herself  or  to  apolo- 
gize for  her  poor  lesson  would  be  out  of  order,  yet  she 
wanted  to  justify  herself  in  the  eyes  of  the  children — if 
this  could  be  done.  As  she  was  bidding  them  good-by  she 
said':  "It  will  take  a  few  weeks  to  become  acquainted 
with  each  other,  but  I  hope  that  we  may  be  friends,  and 
that  you  will  be  my  helpers.  You  will  help  me,  will  you 
not?"  As  she  put  her  question  she  looked  into  the  eyes  of 
the  boy  who  had  been  the  most  trying.  He  had  been 
restless,  inattentive,  and  mischievous,  but  he  squared  his 
shoulders  and  answered,  "Sure  I  will,"  and  assumed  a 
protective  attitude.  His  look  and  manner  said,  "Oh,  you're 
nothing  but  a  girl  after  all  and  you  don't  know  how  to 
teach,  but  I'll  take  care  of  you."  He  turned  the  other 
boys  right  about  face  and  said  to  them:  "Stop  your  talk- 
ing and  be  quiet.  Teacher  is  saying  good-by";  and  he  left 
the  class  quietly,  and  the  other  boys  did  the  same.  The 
little  girls  smiled,  and  one  of  them  said:  "I  hope  you'll 
be  here  next  week.  Our  other  teacher  did  not  come  very 
often.     Some  Sundays  we  had  no  teacher  at  all." 

Just  at  that  moment  the  superintendent  of  the  Primary 


NEW  TEACHER'S  FIRST  SUNDAY  13 

Department  approached  and  asked,  "How  did  you  get  along, 
and  how  do  you  like  being  a  teacher?" 

"I  did  not  get  along  at  all,"  answered  New  Teacher, 
looking  over  her  shoulder  to  make  sure  that  the  children 
were  gone  and  could  not  hear  her.  "I  made  a  miserable 
failure  of  my  lesson,  for  I  did  not  know  how  to  teach  it. 
If  I  am  to  be  a  teacher — and  I  think  that  I  want  to  be — 
you  must  help  me." 

"I  will,"  said  the  superintendent,  "and  this  is  what  I 
will  do.  I  will  teach  the  class  next  week  while  you  ob- 
serve and  listen,  and  afterward  we  will  talk  together  about 
what  I  did  and  why  I  did  it,  the  best  methods  of  teaching 
young  children,  and  how  to  prepare  a  lesson." 

And  with  this  promise  to  give  her  courage  New  Teacher 
went  home. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  What  do  you  consider  is  the  purpose  of  the  Sunday 
school?  Answer  this  question  fully  and  make  a  record  of 
it  in  your  notebook,  that  later  you  may,  if  you  need  to  do 
so,  revise  or  extend  it. 

2.  Because  of  this  purpose  what  are  the  motives  that 
should  govern  the  decision  to  become  a  teacher? 

3.  What,  besides  a  high  motive,  is  necessary  to  success- 
ful teaching? 

4.  What,  do  you  think,  does  "knowing  how"  include? 
Answer  this  question  as  fully  as  you  can  from  your  pres- 
ent knowledge  and  experience  in  teaching  and  make  a 
record  of  your  answer  in  your  notebook,  that  you  may 
have  it  for  comparison  and  study  as  you  progress  in  the 
course. 

5.  Why  was  it,  do  you  think,  that  New  Teacher's  lesson 
was  a  failure? 

6.  If  we  must  use  different  methods  in  teaching  children 
of  different  ages,  what  particular  study  should  a  teacher- 
training  course  include?  What  are  your  reasons  for  spe- 
cializing  in  primary  work? 


14  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER   AND   WORK 

7.  What  bearing  or  relation  has  the  teacher's  personality, 
manner,  and  habits  to  the  imitative  impulse  natural  to 
children? 

8.  In  becoming  a  teacher  in  the  Primary  Department 
where  there  are  certain  rules  and  regulations  for  the  chil- 
dren to  observe,  what  command  should  the  teacher  lay 
upon  herself,  and  why? 

9.  Formulate  a  rule  or  command  for  yourself  with  regard 
to  attendance,  to  the  observance  of  all  signals,  to  sup- 
plies for  your  class.    The  last  should  have  two  points  to  it. 


CHAPTER  II 
AN  HOUR  WITH  A  SKILLED  TEACHER 

The  second  Sunday  New  Teacher  was  in  her  place  early. 
At  first  it  was  a  question  who  was  the  more  shy  and  con- 
strained, New  Teacher  or  her  pupils,  but  she  tried  to  -greet 
all  with  the  same  cordiality.  Of  the  boy  who  looked  as  if 
lie  might  answer  if  spoken  to  directly  she  asked  questions 
about  his  school  and  school  work.^  She  was  a  good  listener, 
and  because  the  children  saw  that  she  really  was  interested 
in  their  school  life  and  play  they  began  to  talk  freely. 
Girls  and  boys  claimed  her  attention  at  the  same  time.  She 
was  beginning  to  feel  somewhat  helpless  and  as  if  she 
needed  to  know  liow  to  preserve  order  as  well  as  how  to 
teach  when  she  remembered  her  promise  to  complete  the 
story  begun  the  first  Sunday.  She  had  just  finished  it  when 
the  signal  was  given  for  teacher  and  pupils  to  become 
attentive  to  the  opening  service  of  worship. - 

1.  Necessity  of  first  ivinning  the  child's  interest. 
The  worship  was  followed  by  the  period  of  instruction. 
As  the  superintendent  came  down  the  room  toward  the 
class.  New  Teacher  saw  that  she  held  in  her  hand  an  oblong 
wicker  basket.  It  was  about  12  inches  long,  9  inches  wide, 
and  3  inches  high,  and  had  no  cover.  It  was,  in  fact,  a 
correspondence  basket,  like  those  to  be  found  on  office  desks 
in  which  secretaries  place  their  employers'  mail.  New 
Teacher  looked  about  and  saw  that  each  teacher  in  the 
room  had  a  similar  basket.  She  wondered  what  was  in  the 
superintendent's,  but  discovered  that  she,  like  the  children, 
must  await  developments;    for  a  piece  of  brown  felt  the 


^  The  true  purpose  and  value  of  such,  questions  become  apparent 
in  Chapters  V  and  VI. 

2  The  signal  was  quiet  music. 


15 


I 


16  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

size  of  the  basket  lay  on  top  and  concealed  the  contents. 
This  piqued  her  curiosity  and  led  her  to  perceive  that 
elements  of  mystery  and  surprise  introduced  into  a  teach- 
ing situation  have  their  values.  She  did  not  think  in  these 
terms,  but  noticed  that  the  children  Required  no  bidding  to 
attend.  They  gathered  about  the  table  and  suggested  by 
their  attitude  that  something  quite  worth  while,  from 
a  child's  point  of  view,  might  be  forthcoming,  and  that  they 
were  ready  for  it. 

A  .picture  was  the  first  thing  produced.  The  superin- 
tendent held  it  in  such  a  way  that  to  see  it  the  pupils 
would  have  to  face  toward  her.  The  boys  leaned  forward 
from  their  side  of  the  table  to  look,  and  the  girls  from 
their  side.  She  explained:  "This  picture  tells  a  story. 
Instead  of  telling  this  story  to  you  I  want  you  to  tell  it 
to  me.  Each  of  you,  in  turn,  may  take  the  picture  in  your 
own  hands  and  look  at  it  for  a  second  or  two  and  then 
pass  it  on  to  your  next  neighbor.  Do  not  tell  what  you  see 
in  the  picture  until  I  am  ready  for  you  to  tell  me.  Keep 
your  discoveries  to  yourself  in  just  the  same  way  that 
you  would  if  you  were  playing  a  game  in  which  you  did 
not  want  the  other  players  to  know  what  you  were  thinking 
or  going  to  do.  Which  side  is  ready  for  the  picture?  I 
will  pass  it  first  to  the  girls." 

2.  Arousing  the  child's  self -activity.  The  passing  of 
the  picture  was  done  quickly;  for  the  superintendent  knew 
that  if  individual  children  kept  it  for  too  long  a  time,  the 
others  would  lose  interest.  She  knew  too  that  some  re- 
quire a  longer  time  than  others  in  which  to  recognize  de- 
tails and  their  relation  to  each  other.  Hence,  she  did  not 
lay  the  picture  aside  when  it  was  returned  to  her,  but  held 
it  before  the  children  while  she  asked,  "What  story  do  you 
see  in  the  picture?"^  One  child  saw  only  the  people  in  the 
foreground.  Another  was  attracted  by  the  unfamiliar 
houses  and  street  scene.    Another  child  said,  "Many  people 

3  "In  the  Streets  of  Capernaum."  For  this  picture  see  Primary 
Picture  Set  No.  3. 


AN  HOUR  WITH  A  SKILLED   TEACHER  17 

are  coming  to  Jesus."  This  answer  showed  an  attempt  to 
relate  details,  but  was  not  entirely  satisfactory.  As  atten- 
tion to  details  was  necessary  to  a  proper  interpretation  ot 
the  picture,  the  teacher  began  to  ask  questions:  "What  time 
of  day  do  you  think  it  is  in  the  picture?  Why  do  you 
think  it  is  evening?  Where  are  the  people?  What  do  you 
think  is  their  purpose  in  coming  to  Jesus?  Are  all  the 
people  of  the  same  age?  Do  they  look  as  if  they  needed 
to  be  helped  in  the  same  way?  Who  will  take  the  picture, 
point  to  some  one  who  needs  help,  and  tell  what  it  is  proba- 
ble he  wanted  Jesus  to  do  for  him?  What  did  other  people 
want  Jesus  to  do  for  them?  Tell  the  story  of  what  Jesus 
did  that  evening  at  Capernaum."  The  superintendent 
pointed  to  the  lame,  the  blind,  and  the  sick;  while  the 
children  told  her  that  Jesus  made  the  lame  to  walk,  the 
blind  to  see,  and  the  sick  well.  "He  healed  many  that 
were  sick." 

3.  Interest  centers  in  the  story.  Next  the  superin« 
tendent  asked:  "What  part  of  the  day  is  the  evening?" 
and  suggested,  "Let  me  tell  you  what  Jesus  did  earlier  in 
the  day."  She  laid  the  picture  back  in  the  basket  under 
the  felt  covering  and  began:  "Capernaum  was  a  city  be- 
side Lake  Galilee.  In  this  city  there  was  a  church  called 
a  synagogue.  It  was  the  gift  of  a  wealthy  soldier  to  the 
Jews."  She  told  the  story  "A  Busy  Day  at  Capernaum." 
After  telling  the  story  she  inquired,  "What  different  ways 
have  we  of  showing  love  to  Jesus?"  After  the  children 
had  answered  this  question,  she  asked,  "What  will  you 
try  to  do?"  Because  some  children  seemed  thoughtful  and 
hesitating,  she  added,  "Think  it  over  during  the  week,  and 
next  Sunday  we  will  talk  together  about  what  you  would 
like  to  do."  Then  she  asked:  "What  shall  we  say  to  God?" 
and  brought  the  lesson  to  a  close  with  a  prayer  suggested 
by  the  children. 

The  superintendent  sat  quietly  a  moment,  then  drew  out 
the  basket  from  under  her  chair,  where  she  had  placed 
it  before  beginning  the  story,  and  set  it  before  her  upon  the 


18  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

table.  She  took  from  it  the  folders  of  Story  17,  Year  3,  but 
before  distributing  them  inquired,  "What  do  you  think 
would  be  a  good  title  for  the  story  that  I  have  told  you?" 
Several  titles  were  suggested;  but  as  the  one  she  desired 
was  not  given,  she  said:  "Think  what  Jesus  did.  What  did 
he  do  early  in  the  day?  What  did  he  do  while  in  church? 
Where  did  he  go  when  he  left  church  and  what  did  he  do? 
What  happened  in  the  evening  as  the  sun  was  setting? 
What  kind  of  a  day  do  you  think  it  was  for  Jesus  when 
he  did  so  many  things?"  Quickly  someone  answered,  "A 
busy  day."  "That  is  the  title  of  the  story,"  said  the  super- 
intendent, "  'A  Busy  Day  at  Capernaum.'  "  Then  she  passed 
the  folders  to  the  boy  who  sat  next  to  her  at  the  right  with 
the  request  to  take  a  folder  and  pass  on  the  rest  to  his 
right-hand   neighbor. 

After  directing  attention  to  the  "Something-to-Do"  page 
she  said  to  the  children:  "Explain  to  your  teacher  what 
you  do  with  your  folders  and  handwork  pages,  and  show 
how  quickly  and  skillfully  you  can  fasten  them  in  place. 
And  one  thing  more:  be  sure  to  learn  the  Memory  Verse 
and  to  recite  it  to  your  teacher  next  Sunday."  In  a  few 
moments  the  superintendent  called  all  the  classes  to  at- 
tention and  led  in  the  closing  service  of  worship. 

4.  Considering  a  lesson  in  relation  to  results  ac- 
complislied.  A  little  later  the  children  and  the  other  teach- 
ers were  gone.  New  Teacher  and  the  superintendent  sat 
for  the  second  time  at  the  class  table.  The  primary  teach- 
er's textbook  and  pictures  and  a  pupil's  folder  were  spread 
out  before  them. 

"Tell  me,"  said  the  superintendent,  "what  was  the  first 
thing  I  did  in  teaching  the  lesson?"^  What  happened  as 
soon  as  I  presented  the  picture?  What  led  the  children  to 
do  this?  Was  the  kind  of  seeing  which  proceeds  from  cu- 
riosity the  kind  of  seeing  with  w^hich  I  was  content?  That 
they  might  see  not  only  with  their  eyes  but  also  with  their 


*  It   is   advisable   for   the   reader  to   answer   each   question  as   it 
occurs  before  reading  on. 


AN  HOUR  WITH  A  SKILLED  TEACHER  19 

understanding,  what  did  I  do?  I  gave  them  something 
to  look  for  in  the  picture, — its  story  or  meaning.  I  might 
have  told  them  what  the  picture  meant,  but  that  would 
have  been  to  do  their  thinking  for  them,  to  have  told  them 
what  they  were  perfectly  capable  of  discovering  for  them- 
selves. As  it  was,  the  children  became  interested  and  self- 
active  with  regard  to  the  picture.  They  gave  purposeful 
attention  and  thought  to  it.  Speaking  more  technically, 
one  would  say  that  the  children  became  dynamic  in  regard 
to  the  picture  and  the  lesson.  As  a  result  of  individual  at- 
tention and  thought  each  child  discovered  for  himself  de- 
tails and  teaching  facts  which  are  of  value  to  him  in 
learning  to  know  Jesus. 

"The  pictured  story  was,  however,  only  a  part  of  the 
lesson,  a  part  of  what  I  knew  and  desired  the  children  to 
know.  What  next  did  I  do  in  order  to  teach  the  lesson? 
Did  the  children  listen  to  the  story?  Did  their  thought- 
fulness  and  their  quiet,  reverent  tones  in  prayer  have  any 
meaning  for  you?  To  me  they  meant  that  the  lesson  had 
made  an  impression,  had  aroused  feelings  of  wonder  at  the 
power  of  Jesus  and  of  gratitude  and  love. 

"These  are  among  the  feelings  that  give  rise  to  impulses, 
and  to  which  appeal  may  be  made  for  right  conduct.  But 
in  some  children  the  feelings  aroused  by  a  lesson  are  weak. 
Other  children  do  not  know  what  to  do  to  express  them- 
selves; hence  it  is  desirable  with  most  lessons  to  secure  a 
response  or  prepare  the  way  for  it.  This  explains  why  I 
asked  such  questions  as  'What  may  we  do?'  and  'What 
will  you  do  to  show  love  to  Jesus?'  and  suggested  prayer. 
Not  all  lessons  need  to  end  with  prayer,  and  it  is  only 
occasionally  that  a  lesson  is  begun  as  I  began  it  to-day — 
that  is,  with  the  presentation  of  a  picture.  The  way  in 
which  the  lesson  is  begun  and  ended  depends  on  the  les- 
son and  the  method  by  which  it  is  taught. 

"From  what  you  have  heard  and  seen  to-day  what,  do 
you  think,  is  an  approved  method  of  teaching  Bible  les- 
sons to  young  children? 


20  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

"Judging  from  the  lesson  that  I  taught  to-day,  what 
three  parts  do  you  consider  a  lesson  may  have  when  taught 
by  the  story  method? 

"What  is  the  purpose  of  the  story  preparation?  What 
should  be  the  purpose  of  that  which  is  done  by  or  with  the 
children  after  the  story? 

"These  are  questions  for  you  to  think  about  and  to  an- 
swer in  connection  with  the  preparation  of  your  next  les- 
son," concluded  the  superintendent,  "And  whenever  you 
are  ready  to  prepare  next  Sunday's  lesson,  let  me  know, 
and  we  will  prepare  it  together." 

Thus,  it  was  with  much  thinking  to  do  and  an  immediate 
task  as  well  as  the  larger  one  of  fitting  herself  for  teach- 
ing that  New  Teacher  again  went  home. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  What,  do  you  think,  was  the  superintendent's  motive  in 
passing  the  lesson  picture  first  to  the  girls? 

2.  What  relation  have  acts  of  courtesy  to  the  making 
habitual  of  such  feelings  as  are  enjoined  in  Eph.  4.  32? 

3.  What  sense,  strong  in  the  boy's  nature,  did  the  super- 
intendent regard  when  she  passed  the  folder  first  to  the 
boys  after  having  passed  the  picture  first  to  the  girls? 

4.  How  do  such  acts  affect  a  child's  attitude  toward  his 
teacher,  the  teacher's  requirements,  assignments  of  tasks, 
and   discipline? 

5.  There  are  several  values  in  having  the  children  handle 
a  picture.  Some  of  these  will  be  discovered  in  a  later 
lesson.  Give  one  based  on  individual  differences  in  the 
ability  to  see. 

6.  From  what  you  have  read  in  this  chapter  concerning 
the  method  of  teaching  the  lesson  "A  Busy  Day  in  Caper- 
naum" what  do  you  consider  is  one  purpose  of  the  lesson 
teaching  in  the  Primary  Department?  Keep  your  answer 
for  future  reference. 

7.  New  Teacher's  first  attempt  at  teaching  was  largely 
a  failure.    This  failure  was  not  due  to  a  lack  of  knowledge 


AN  HOUR  WITH  A  SKILLED  TEACHER  21 

or  mastery  of  her  subject-matter.  She  had  studied  the 
lesson  material  in  the  Bible  and  in  commentaries.  It  might 
have  been  said,  and  said  truly,  that  she  knew  her  subject- 
matter.     What  was  it  that  she  did  not  know? 

8.  By  following  directions  it  is  probable  that  New  Teach- 
er would  have  taught  much  more  effectively  the  second 
Sunday  than  she  did  the  first.  Was  there  any  similarity 
in  method  between  showing  the  picture  to  the  primary 
children  and  having  the  young  teacher  observe  the  teach- 
ing of  a  lesson?    What  were  the  results  in  each  case? 

9.  What  does  an  experience  give  or  become?  Find  your 
illustration  or  argument  in  this  lesson. 


CHAPTER  III 

MARGARET  AND  NORMA,  STANLEY,  LEONARDO,  AND 
VICTOR 

They  were  pupils  in  the  same  class — 'Margaret  and  Nor- 
ma, Stanley,  Leonardo,  and  Victor. 

Margaret  was  fair  and  dainty.  She  wore  her  dresses 
of  spotless  white  and  of  delicate  pink  and  blue  with  grace. 
She  stepped  lightly  and  handled  things  gently.  Even  her 
thoughts  were  light  and  airy.  She  rarely  touched  realities 
even  in  her  thinking.  She  was  imaginative  to  an  exces- 
sive degree.  When  she  was  younger  it  had  been  neces- 
sary to  verify  her  statements,  for  they  were  apt  to  be 
colored  by  her  fancies.  Now  that  she  was  older,  there  were 
times  when  she  seemed  to  speak  from  far  away  and  to  be 
living  in  a  dream  world  of  her  own.  Labor  was  irksome 
to  her.  She  guessed  the  answer  to  a  question  rather  than 
thought  it  out,  and  preferred  watching  the  other  children 
at  their  tasks  to  accomplishing  her  own.  Yet  she  possessed 
elements  of  strength.  She  defended  the  rights  of  others 
speedily  and  effectually  and  would  permit  no  one  to  impose 
upon  her.  She  was  admired  and  obeyed  by  all  the  chil- 
dren. The  boys  in  particular  sought  her  approval  and  were 
quick  to  do  her. bidding.  She  was  the  arbiter  in  times  of 
controversy  and  set  childish  standards  of  right  conduct. 

1.  Individual  differences  in  children.  Norma  was 
vigorous.  When  the  door  opened  to  admit  her,  one  was 
reminded  of  March  winds,  whirling  papers,  and  a  fire  in 
the  next  block;  for  always  there  was  stir  and  movement, 
mischief  and  excitement,  in  her  vicinity.  Her  clothes  and 
hair  were  usually  somewhat  rumpled  and  suggested  a  con- 
flict with  the  elements  or  a  race  to  get  to  Sunday  school 

22 


MARGARET,  NORMA,   AND   OTHERS  23 

on  time  or  to  outdo  some  boy  whose  speed  she  had  chal- 
lenged. She  differed  from  the  boys  at  all  times,  dictated 
to  them,  quarreled  with  them,  and  derided  their  failures. 
She  would  glance  over  a  boy's  handwork  page,  discover 
an  error,  and  taunt  him  with  it  to  his  exasperation  and 
discomfiture:  "You  don't  know  how  to  spell!  You  are 
only  in  Three  B.     I'm  in  Three  A,  the  rapid  class." 

She  was  as  quick  to  hear  and  to  think  as  she  was  to 
see.  It  troubled  her  when  the  children  did  not  sing  in 
time  or  in  tune.  "That  was  sung  too  fast  or  too  slow,"  she 
would  urge;  or,  "The  children  are  not  singing  that  right. 
They  go  down  when  they  should  go  up."  She  held  every- 
one, even  her  teachers,  to  a  strict  accountability  regarding 
the  right  or  the  wrong  use  of  words.  She  inquired  about 
their  meaning  and  was  anxious  to  be  correct  in  her  pro- 
nunciation. She  wanted  to  know  the  reason  why  for  every- 
thing. 

Norma  grasped  one  idea  and  was  ready  for  the  next  be- 
fore Margaret  and  some  of  the  other  children  had  begun 
to  think.  She  was  ready  with  the  answer  to  a  question 
before  the  other  members  of  the  class  understood  the  ques- 
tion itself.  She  found  it  tiresome  waiting  for  the  others 
to  do  their  thinking.  It  was  a  temptation  to  her  to  give 
an  answer  before  the  teacher  desired  it.  Often  it  slipped 
out;  or  if  it  did  not,  Norma  was  apt  to  lose  interest  and 
to  perpetrate  a  bit  of  mischief.  There  were  reasons  why 
she  was  in  the  rapid  class  in  the  public  school. 

Stanley  was  somewhat  smaller  than  other  boys  of  his 
own  age,  but  he  was  vivid.  His  eyes  were  bright  and 
shining.  Good  health  showed  in  the  color  of  his  lips  and 
skin  and  under  his  finger  nails.  His  bobbing  head  was  like 
a  glint  of  sunshine  difficult  to  catch  and  hold.  He  was 
rarely  still  unless  listening  to  a  story.  Then  he  would  sit 
with  his  left  foot  over  his  right  knee,  his  hands  clasped 
around  his  left  knee,  and  with  his  head  held  high.  If  the 
story  made  a  special  demand  on  the  thought  powers  of  a 
child,    he   was   eager   and   attentive.      If    it   ended   with   a 


24  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

question,  he  knew  the  answer.  If  the  story  appealed  to 
the  emotions  or  sentiments,  strong  feeling — sympathy  or 
joy,  awe  or  reverence,  love  or  gratitude — showed  in  his 
face.  He  was  familiar  with  many  Bible  stories  and  had 
great  love  for  the.  heavenly  Father  and  tenderest  feeling 
for  the  Saviour.  He  referred  more  often  to  Jesus  as  the 
Baby  born  on  Christmas  day  than  to  Jesus  as  a  man  but 
was  deeply  interested  in  stories  of  Christ's  ministry  upon 
earth.  Stanley  stood  out  from  among  the  other  children, 
for  he  seemed  to  radiate  joy  and  happiness  and  good  will 
to  others. 

Leonardo  was  dark,  like  other  children  of  his  race,  but 
slight.  It  seemed  sometimes  as  if  he  scarcely  opened  the 
door  but  slipped  into  the  room  like  a  shadow.  To  watch 
him  during  the  service  of  worship  one  would  think  that 
he  was  dull  and  unresponsive.  He  sat  low  in  his  chair 
with  eyes  partly  closed.  But  by  watching  him  one  could 
discover  that  his  eyelids  did  not  droop,  as  if  they  were 
heavy  with  sleep.  They  were  drawn  down,  as  if  he  were 
taking  refuge  behind  them  and  watching  you  and  every- 
thing that  you  did.  They  opened  widely  only  when  there 
'was  something  to  be  done  in  connection  with  the  lesson 
for  the  day.  He  delighted  in  a  beautiful  picture  and  found 
infinite  satisfaction  in  doing  handwork.  He  did  it  well, 
as  he  discovered  when  he  compared  his  work  with  that 
done  by  other  boys  in  the  class.  That  which  they  were 
able  to  do  became  a  sort  of  standard  by  which  he  measured 
himself  and  found  that  he  was  not  lacking.  During  the 
lesson  period  he  showed  energy,  initiative,  ability,  and  in- 
telligence. 

Victor  was  the  boy  who  caused  the  heartaches  and  led 
more  than  one  teacher  to  urge  the  finding  of  some  other 
teacher  who  could  control  and  help  him.  He  was  older 
tl^an  the  other  children  in  the  class  and  appeared  much 
taller.  His  face  was  long,  and  this  long  look  was  accen- 
tuated by  his  mouth,  which  was  open  the  greater  part  of  the 
time,  letting  his  chin  drop.    He  was  nearly  always  smiling. 


MARGARET,  NORMA,  AND  OTHERS      25 

not  in  appreciation  of  the  happenings  and  sayings  that  the 
other  children  found  amusing,  but  at  what  he  himself  was 
doing.  His  arms  and  hands  and  fingers  were  so  long  that 
with  the  least  movement,  and  one  which  would  not  be  ob- 
served, he  was  able  to  pinch  the  boy  who  sat  next  to  him. 
Victor  wore  heavy  shoes  and  he  trod  upon  the  feet  of  the 
other  children.  He  paid  slight  attention  to  his  lessons 
and  rarely  knew  the  memory  verses. 

One  day  his  teacher  asked  him  to  help  her  move  a  row 
of  chairs  and  to  place  a  table  in  a  different  position.  It 
was  seldom  that  he  arrived  at  Sunday  school  sufficiently 
early  to  give  any  assistance,  but  this  day  he  was  on  time. 
To  the  teacher's  surprise  he  seemed  eager  and  glad  to 
perform  this  service,  and  that  Sunday  made  an  effort  to 
control  himself  and  to  be  attentive.  The  following  Sunday 
she  called  upon  him  again  to  give  muscular  assistance,  and 
from  that  time  it  was  noticeable  that  when  he  was  given 
something  to  do  that  he  was  capable  of  doing,  there  was  a 
marked  improvement  in  his  conduct. 

Margaret  and  Norma,  Stanley,  Leonardo,  and  Victor  are 
not  peculiar  to  any  one  Sunday  school.  In  nearly  every 
Primary  Department,  if  not  in  each  class,  there  are  chil- 
dren with  vivid  imaginations  who  may  or  may  not  lack 
concentration.  There  are  boys  and  girls  of  quick  percep- 
tions and  keen  intellect.  There  are  those  who  are  more 
responsive  than  others  to  the  voices  that  speak  to  the 
spirit  and  bring  one  close  to  God.  There  are  children  from 
the  city  streets  like  the  little  foreigner,  Leonardo;  and  there 
are  the  Victors,  weak  in  all  the  ways  that  other  children 
are  strong.  And  what  does  it  mean  that  in  a  class  or  de- 
partment there  are  these  types  of  children?  It  means  that 
New  Teacher,  about  whose  experiences  you  have  read,  pene- 
trated to  the  heart  of  the  teaching  problem  when  she 
asked  if  one  must  know  not  only  how  to  teach  but  the  in- 
dividual child  to  be  taught.  There  may  be  six,  eight,  ten 
children  in  a  dass,  but  each  one  of  the  six  or  eight  or  ten 
is  an  individual  whom,  truly  to  teach,  the  teacher  must 


26  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

know.  She  must  know  him  as  he  is,  and  also  as  it  is  de- 
sirable and  possible  for  him  to  become. 

What  the  child  is  he  reveals  by  his  conduct;  for  here, 
there,  and  everywhere  and  at  all  times  he  is  showing  what 
he  is  by  what  he  does.  Hence  to  know  the  child  one  must 
become  familiar  with  his  school  life  and  watch  him  at 
his  play.  To  understand  his  home  life  is  imperative,  for 
the  conditions  that  environ  him  at  home  have  a  great  in- 
fluence in  making  him  what  he  is.  A  further  knowledge 
of  the  child  is  to  be  gained  through  association  with  him 
and  companionship. 

2.  Kno-wledge  influences  teaching  method.  Victor's 
teacher,  who  saw  him  only  in  Sunday  school  for  a  brief 
hour  on  Sunday,  thought  of  him  chiefly  as  an  annoyance. 
One  day  she  learned  that  he  was  without  father  or  mother. 
His  mother's  sister  had  taken  him  into  her  home,  but  she 
had  a  large  family  to  care  for  and  was  not  strong.  She 
was  able  to  give  Victor  very  little  personal  attention  and 
did  not  understand  why  he  should  be  so  different  from 
other  children.  He  was  provided  with  shelter,  clothing, 
and  food,  but  denied  sympathy  and  love.  Next  it  was  dis- 
covered through  his  records  and  work  at  school  that  he 
had  a  weak  mind  in  a  not  overstrong  body.  In  his  play 
he  showed  that  he  was  not  vicious  but  lacking  in  sympathy 
and  regard  for  others. 

Having  acquired  this  knowledge,  the  teacher's  whole  at- 
titude toward  Victor  changed.  She  would  have  been  a 
very  strange  and  unnatural  teacher  if  it  had  not.  She 
asked:  "How  can  he  have  sympathy  for  others  when  he  has 
never  experienced  it?  How  can  he  concentrate  and  really 
think  when  he  has  not  the  power?  If  he  has  a  weak  body 
and  a  weak  mind,  how  can  he  be  strong  and  controlled? 
What  may  be  done  in  the  Sunday-school  hour  to  develop 
him  physically  and  mentally,  to  arouse  the  tender  emotions, 
and  to  minister  to  him  spiritually?" 

In  her  teaching  and  in  her  attempts  to  control  Victor 
the  teacher  began  to  use   different  methods.     She  ceased 


MARGARET,  NORMA,  AND  OTHERS       27 

reprimanding  him  for  wrongdoing  and  urging  a  control 
impossible  for  him  to  exert.  She  began  to  direct  his 
activities.  When  she  made  out  a  question  for  the  other 
children  there  was  always  an  easier  question  for  Victor. 
When  she  asked  other  pupils  to  write  an  original  state- 
ment, she  gave  Victor  a  sentence  to  copy.  She  was  kind 
where  she  had  been  stern,  and  she  studied  his  needs  and 
how  to  help  him  upbuild  a  stronger  and  better  self.  Why? 
Because  her  knowledge  made  her  sympathetic  toward  the 
child,  fostered  a  tender  feeling,  and  gave  her  an  under- 
standing of  his  needs.  It  is  said  that  the  individual  bond 
between  the  teacher  and  the  individual  child  is  the  genius 
of  the  teacher.  It  is  noteworthy  that  Victor  responded  to 
the  teacher's  different  attitude  and  methods,  became  more 
amenable,  and  tried  to  attend  to  the  lesson  presentation. 
Some  days  there  was  a  marked  improvement  in  his  con- 
duct. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  There  were  times  when  Leonardo  was  unresponsive 
during  the  service  of  worship.  It  was  learned  that  his 
father  had  lost  courage  in  his  struggle  to  earn  a  living  in 
the  New  World.  His  mother  worked  hard  but  was  incap- 
able of  providing  her  large  family  with  suitable  shelter, 
clothing,  and  food.  There  were  many  times  when  the  child 
came  to  Sunday  school  hungry  because  he  had  not  had 
sufficient  food  for  several  days.  Would  this  knowledge 
affect  the  teacher's  attitude  toward  Leonardo?  Would  it 
cause  her  to  modify  her  treatment  of  the  child,  her  re- 
quirements for  response  or  attention,  or  her  assignments 
of  work?     How? 

2.  Leonardo's  clothes  were  of  the  cheapest  and  thinnest. 
His  shoes  needed  repairing.  He  lacked  many  things  when 
he  measured  himself  by  others.  Would  this  account  in 
any  way  for  his  joy  when  he  found  that  his  handwork 
compared  favorably  with  that  done  by  other  children  of 
his  age?     What  feeling  would  it  give  him  about  himself? 


28  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

and  of  what  value  is  this  feeling?  Is  it  possible  that  his 
father's  continued  failures  in  life  might  be  due  to  loss  of 
this  feeling?  When  Leonardo  appealed  to  his  teacher  to 
share  in  his  joy  and  give  him  the  word  of  commendation 
he  craved,  should  she  give  or  withhold  it?  What  is  the 
value  of  encouraging  a  child  who  does  well  to  do,  not  better 
than  his  companions,  but  better  than  he  himself  has  done 
before? 

3.  Stanley's  birthday  came  two  days  before  Christmas. 
What  was  to  him  the  happiest  season  of  all  the  year  was 
associated  with  the  story  of  the  birth  of  Jesus.  What 
feeling  might  one  expect  Stanley  to  have  for  Jesus,  and 
how  would  he  be  apt  to  think  of  him?  Endeavor  to  ac- 
count for  Stanley's  joyous,  happy  disposition,  his  good  will 
to  all,  and  his  greater  love  for  God  and  knowledge  of  Bible 
stories  than  that  possessed  by  other  children. 

4.  Norma's  grandparents  had  served  in  kings'  palaces. 
The  originality  of  thought  on  the  part  of  her  father  and 
mother  and  their  independent  spirit  had  led  them  to  seek 
a  home  in  a  republic,  to  break  away  from  an  old  creed,  and 
to  adopt  another  faith.  There  were  numberless  influences 
which  stimulated  Norma's  thought  powers  and  helped  to 
make  her  keen  and  active  and  to  give  her  a  marked  indi- 
viduality. How  may  the  Sunday-school  teacher  obtain  an 
equally  intimate  knowledge  of  the  individual  pupils  in  her 
class? 

5.  What  would  you  do  with  a  child  who  dreams,  as  Mar- 
garet dreamed,  during  the  teaching  of  a  lesson  or  when 
there  is  work  to  be  done?  and  how  would  you  do  it?  Day- 
dreaming and  inability  to  concentrate  attention  may  be 
indicative  of  adenoids.  If  day-dreaming  continues,  what  is 
the  responsibility  of  the  Sunday-school  teacher? 

6.  Sometimes  it  happens  that  in  a  Primary  Department 
there  are  several  classes  of  the  same  grade  or  year.  In 
each  class  there  is  one  or  there  may  be  two  children  who 
think  and  work  much  more  rapidly  than  the  other  chil- 
dren.    Would  it  be  an  advantage  or  a  detriment  to  these 


MARGARET.  NORMA,  AND  OTHERS       29 

children  to  place  them  together  in  one  class?  Is  it  a 
help  or  a  hindrance  to  the  slower  thinkers  to  be  associated 
with  the  more  rapid  workers  or  thinkers?  What  is  the 
practice  in  approved  public  schools?  Discuss  and  answer 
these  questions  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  needs  and 
rights  of  the  individual  child. 

7.  We  are  told  that  physicians  and  educators  who  have 
worked  with  children  who  are  deficient  mentally  have  found 
that  there  is  improvement  when  attention  is  given  to  ac- 
tivities that  call  into  play  the  larger  muscles  like  those 
of  the  arm  and  hand  as  a  whole  rather  than  those  of  the 
fingers.  In  view  of  this  what  would  you  do  with  such 
children  as  Victor? 

8.  What  is  it  that  an  acquaintance  with  the  child's  home 
life  helps  you  to  know  about  him? 

9.  What  is  the  Sunday-school  teacher's  responsibility 
and  duty  with  regard  to  the  pupils  in  her  class? 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE   PRIMARY   CHILD   IN   THE  MAKING 

We  meet  him  on  the  street.  We  see  him  at  play  with 
companions.  We  hear  about  him  in  school.  Occasionally 
we  visit  him  in  his  home  and  see  him  as  a  member  of  a 
family  group.  We  think  of  him  more  often  as  the  boy 
we  teach  in  Sunday  school,  and  for  this  reason  are  apt 
to  forget  that  he  is  not  only  that  boy;  he  is  the  boy  his 
parents  know,  the  boy  his  teachers  know,  plus  the  boy  on 
the  playground  and  on  the  street.  The  primary  child  is 
all  these  boys  in  one.  Furthermore,  he  has  not  sprung 
into  being;  he  has  been  in  the  making  for  six,  seven  or 
eight  years. 

1.  Beginnings  of  mental  life.  Mental  life  has  its  be- 
ginnings, and  certain  habits  are  started  by  fostering,  care. 
Once  the  child  lay  in  his  mother's  arms  helpless.  He 
was  able  to  do  little  more  than  cry  when  he  was  hungry 
or  ill  at  ease  and  smile  in  variable  fashion  when  he  heard 
certain  tones  in  his  mother's  voice  and  saw  her  smile  as 
she  leaned  over  him.  Of  his  mother's  love  he  knew  noth- 
ing. Her  thoughts  lay  beyond  his  power  even  to  surmise. 
It  was  only  her  care  and  that  of  other  people  which  af- 
fected him. 

Agreeable  sensations  or  the  reverse,  feelings  of  comfort 
or  discomfort,  were  occasioned  by  everything  that  was  done 
directly  for  or  with  him,  by  the  regularity  with  which  he 
was  given  care,  by  the  movements  of  persons  and  things, 
by  sounds,  and  by  qualities  of  objects  that  he  became  able 
to  grasp  and  move.  In  receiving  and  reacting  to  these 
sensory  stimulations  his  mental  life  had  its  beginnings 
and  certain  habits  began  to  be  formed. 

The  young  child  makes  an  early  beginning  at  discovery. 
30 


THE  PRIMARY  CHILD  IN  THE  MAKING  31 

At  first  his  movements  were  reflex,  instinctive,  and  uncon- 
trolled; but  gradually  he  became  able  to  locate  a  sound 
and  turn  his  head  toward  it,  to  follow  a  light,  to  recognize 
his  mother  and  distinguish  her  from  other  people  who  cared 
for  him,  to  recognize  a  few  objects  in  his  immediate  en- 
vironment, to  reach  out  and  to  grasp  things  presented  to 
him  and  to  convey  them  to  his  mouth  or  move  them  from 
place  to  place,  and,  finally,  to  seek  a  repetition  of  sensa- 
tions that  gave  him  pleasure  and  to  avoid  those  which  oc- 
casioned discomfort.  Gradually  he  gained  power  to  move 
about. 

There  came  a  time  when  he  struggled  to  free  himself 
from  arms  that  held  him.  Released,  he  slid  to  the  floor 
to  creep  across  the  room  to  his  Teddy  bear  in  the  corner, 
his  Canton-flannel  pussy  cat,  and  his  rattle.  He  jerked  and 
pulled  first  one  and  then  another  and  pounded  it  upon 
the  floor.  He  found  pleasure  in  doing  this  because  it  was 
his  play. 

The  next  day,  or  the  day  after,  sunshine  lay  warmly  upon 
the  rug.  Making  his  way  into  it,  the  little  one  discovered 
an  open  door.  He  studied  it  a  moment,  then  crept  rapidly 
out  upon  the  doorstep  into  the  brighter  light  and  freer  air. 
What  had  happened?  He  had  heard  the  unknown  calling 
ever  so  faintly  and  had  answered  it. 

To  continue  his  discoveries  the  child  began  to  hold  him- 
self upright,  to  stand  upon  tiptoe,  and  to  walk.  He  was 
everywhere,  and  his  sharp  eyes  and  busy,  prying  fingers 
found  their  way  into  everything.  He  felt  of,  tasted,  lifted, 
and  let  things  fall.  He  was  hearing,  seeing,  doing  some- 
thing all  his  waking  hours,  and  everything  he  could  do  by 
himself  he  wanted  to  do. 

One  day  his  mother  set  him  in  a  sand  pile  to  play.  He 
watched  her  as  she  took  a  large  spoon  and  filled  a  wide- 
mouthed  bottle  with  sand.  When  it  was  nearly  full,  she 
emptied  it  and  began  the  filling  process  a  second  time.  The 
little  one  would  not  let  her  continue  but  took  the  spoon 
into  his  own  hand  and  tried  to   do  what  she  had  done. 


32  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

Finally  he  mastered  the  feat,  was  able  to  convey  the  spoon 
to  the  mouth  of  the  bottle,  tip  it,  and  send  the  sand  inside. 
He  filled  the  bottle  and  emptied  it  more  times  that  day  and 
following  days  than  his  mother  was  able  to  count. 

Imitation  is  another  form  of  discovery.  He  imitated 
everything  he  heard  or  saw — birds  chirping  and  birds  fly- 
ing, the  bark  of  dogs,  the  crying  of  little  children,  the 
movements  of  people,  and  the  expression  of  their  faces.  If 
any  one  frowned  in  perplexity,  he  frowned.  If  any  one 
smiled  at  him  in  friendly  fashion,  he  smiled  in  instant 
response.  If  voices  were  raised  in  protest  or  anger,  he 
raised  his  voice  and  scolded  vigorously.  By  doing  what  he 
saw  others  do  he  gained  ideas  of  the  sensations  felt  by  the 
people  whose  acts  he  imitated. 

In  times  of  stress  or  strain,  of  anxiety  or  excitement  in. 
the  home  he  was  nervous,  excitable,  and  fretful.  With 
persons  who  were  contented  and  happy  he  was  sunny  na- 
tured.  Often  when  his  elders  were  laughing  heartily,  he 
stopped  his  play  and  bent  back  and  forth  in  an  excess  of 
merriment.  He  was  one  of  those  about  him  and  expe- 
rienced their  emotions.  It  was  preeminently  the  time  with 
him  of  learning  to  share  the  mental  life  of  others. 

This  period  in  the  child's  development  has  been  called 
the  imitating  and  socializing  stage.^  The  period  in  which 
the  child  is  affected  by  what  people  do  for  him,  rather  than 
by  what  they  think,  is  called  the  presocial  stage.-  It  is 
necessary  for  the  primary  teacher  to  know  something  about 
these  periods  for  the  reason  that  during  the  presocial  stage, 
which  ends  about  the  close  of  the  first  year,  and  the  imitat- 
ing and  socializing  stage,  which  ends  at  about  three  years 
of  age,  certain  habits  are  formed  and  certain  characteris- 
tics are  developed  which  have  an  influence  upon  the  de- 
veloping conscious  life. 

2.  Beginnings  of  habit.  Habits  have  an  early  start.  In 
the    earlier    stage   of    development,     the    presocial    period. 


1  The  Individual  in  the  Making,  Kirkpatrick. 
^lUd. 


THE  PRIMARY  CHILD  IN  THE  MAKING  33 

health  is  fostered,  and  the  mind  stimulated  by  care  given 
at  regular  times,  which  occasions  the  repetition  of  cer- 
tain sensations.  Regular  times  for  dressing,  feeding,  and 
putting  the  young  child  to  sleep,  for  petting  and  caressing 
him,  for  talking  to  and  playing  with  him,  for  leaving  him 
alone  to  talk  to  himself  and  to  play,  tend  to  establish 
habits  of  regularity  in  needing  care.  The  child  learns  to 
know  what  to  expect  at  certain  times  or  under  certain 
conditions  and  to  respond  joyously  and  happily  to  whatever 
is  done  with  or  for  him.  He  is  good-natured,  and  good  na- 
ture becomes  one  of  his  individual  characteristics.  Per- 
nicious habits  of  irregularity  and  characteristics  of  fret- 
fulness  and  irritability  have  no  chance  to  fasten  themselves 
upon  him.  Through  proper  care  and  training  it  is  possible 
for  the  child  in  this  stage  of  development  to  learn  to  wait 
quietly  for  food  and  to  be  taken  up.  Professor  Kirkpatrick 
calls  these  more  complex  habits  "elementary  acts  of  polite- 
ness."^ Thus  it  is  evident  that  desirable  characteristics 
or  the  reverse  have  their  beginning  during  the  first  year 
of  the  child's  life. 

3.  The  socializing  stage.  Early  in  the  second  period, 
when  the  child  begins  to  do  what  others  do  and  to  share 
their  mental  life,  he  gains  not  a  feeling  of  self  apart  from 
others  but  of  common  consciousness  with  them.  This  is 
the  time  when  the  spirit  of  those  around  the  child  and  the 
atmosphere  of  the  home  affect  his  emotional  life.  He  not 
only  reflects  the  spirit  and  the  temper  of  those  around  him 
but  builds  their  joyousness  or  their  irritability,  their  con- 
trol or  lack  of  it,  their  kindnesses  or  cruelties,  their  con- 
sideration or  selfishness,  into  his  own  character.  It  is 
believed  that  many  characteristics  that  a  child  of  primary 
age  manifests,  which  we  frequently  attribute  to  instinctive 
and  inherited  tendencies,  "are  the  results  of  emotional 
attitudes  produced  by  the  actions  of  others  during  the 
period  of  great  susceptibility  to  social  influence."* 


3  The  Individual   in  the  Making,  Kirkpatrick. 
*  IMd. 


34  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

In  addition  to  imitating  the  acts  of  the  people  about  him 
and,  by  so  doing,  feeling  in  part  as  they  feel,  he  enters 
more  understandingly  into*  their  mental  life  through  the 
use  of  language.  He  receives  ideas  by  what  is  said  to  him 
and  he  both  receives  and  expresses  ideas  by  making  use 
of  words  he  has  learned.  He  learns  language  rapidly  dur- 
ing his  second  and  third  years,  and  his  intellectual  devel- 
opment, as  a  consequence,   is  rapid. 

4.  Development  of  consciousness  of  self.  Usually 
during  the  third  j^ear  the  child  begins  to  use  the  words  "I" 
and  "you"  correctly  and  to  express  his  preference  in  terms 
"I  want"  and  "I  don't  want."  Such  expressions  on  the 
part  of  the  child  are  thought  to  indicate  that  he  has  be- 
come conscious  of  selfness  or  has  now  "the  idea  of  the  self 
as  a  distinct  conscious  being." 

The  child's  health  is  important.  Physical  well-being 
tends  to  give  a  favorable  trend  to  the  conscious  life  that  is 
forming.  Ill  health,  on  the  other  hand,  may  be  responsible 
for  a  contrary  spirit  and  other  undesirable  characteristics 
that  distinguish  him  later. 

It  is  important  for  the  teacher  to  have  a  knowledge  of 
early  childhood.  The  primary  teacher  who  understands  the 
importance  of  the  first  three  years  of  life  and  the  effect 
of  environment  and  nurture  on  child  development  is  able 
to  meet  the  needs  of  the  primary  child  more  surely  and 
successfully  than  the  teacher  who  has  not  this  knowledge. 
She  is  able  to  recognize  characteristics  and  to  look  for 
their  possible  causes,  to  determine  which  tendencies  need 
inhibiting  and  which  developing,  to  guide  the  child's  ac- 
tivities wisely,  and  to  give  him  the  personal  attention  and 
instruction  which  he  requires.  This  part  of  the  teacher's 
task  will  be  emphasized  later. 

5.  Development  of  individualism.  Another  stage  of 
development  through  which  the  child  passes  while  he 
is  in  the  making  is  the  period  of  individualism.^     It  is 


5  The  Individual  in  the  Making,  Kirkpatrick. 


THE  PRIMARY  CHILD  IN  THE  MAKING  35 

also  regarded  as  the  last  half  of  early  childhood/ 
The  child  begins  to  find  less  pleasure  in  playing  alone. 
He  unlatches  the  garden  gate  and  leaves  it  wide  open  be- 
hind him.  He  is  not  far  away,  but  when  his  mother  calls 
he  does  not  hear,  for  he  is  playing  with  companions.  This 
is  the  time  when  his  mother  takes  him  by  the  hand  and 
leads  him  to  kindergarten  and  the  Beginners'  Department 
in  the  Sunday  school. 

The  child  is  beginning  to  be  an  individual  person  and 
to  have  a  mental  life  of  his  own.  He  chooses  what  and 
whom  he  will  imitate.  Quite  frequently  he  opposes  his  will 
to  that  of  others.  It  is  a  problem  to  care  for  him  and  to 
direct  and  control  him  at  this  period;  for  his  own  individ- 
uality should  develop  freely  and  consciously,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  he  needs  to  be  brought  into  right  relationships 
with  others. 

He  needs  a  large  amount  of  letting  alone,  and  directions 
and  suggestions  rather  than  domination.  He  should  be 
given  opportunity  to  find  things  out  for  himself  and  to 
learn  from  experience  what  are  the  results  of  certain  ac- 
tions and  lines  of  conduct.  He  should  learn  to  obey  prompt- 
ly and  without  question  or  argument,  for  there  are  occa- 
sions when  instant  obedience  is  necessary  to  his  own  safety 
and  that  of  others,  to  others'  happiness  and  to  his  own. 

He  has  one  absorbing  and  continuous  occupation — his 
play.  He  leaves  traces  of  himself  all  over  the  house.  In 
the  dining  room  the  chairs  are  made  into  trains.  In  the 
library  books  are  converted  into  railways  and  bridges.  In 
the  living  room  one  must  not  move  the  piano  bench  from 
the  middle  of  the  floor  because  it  is  a  ship  at  sea.  Animal 
toys  brought  from  the  nursery  are  discovered  upon  the 
stairway,  which  in  the  child's  imagination  is  the  mountain 
from  whfch  wild  bears  come  stealing  down  to  kill  little 
lambs  in  the  shepherd's  flock.  Everything  the  child  sees 
or  hears  about  he  tries  to  relive  and  make  his  own.  He 
is   entering   into   life   and   individualizing   himself    at   the 


6  "Chart   of   Childhood,"    St.    John. 


36  THE   PRIMARY   WORKER  AND   WORK 

same  time.  It  is  only  when  nighttime  comes  or  things  go 
wrong  in  his  little  world  that  he  wants  mother. 

He  begins  to  perceive  that  motives  lie  back  of  acts  and 
to  ask,  not  "What  is  that?"  but,  "What  is  that  for?" 
"Where  did  it  come  from?"  "Why  is  it  like  this?  Why 
isn't  it  different?"  "Why  are  you  doing  that?"  "Why  do 
you  have  to  do  it?"  To  some  questions  he  is  given  the 
answer  "God."  The  thought  of  God  satisfies  him  and  helps 
him  to  organize  his  thinking.  God,  whom  the  little  child 
kno\ys,  has  power  to  do  everything.  He  is  a  loving  Father 
who  takes  care  of  little  children,  loves  them,  and  wants 
them  to  be  good.  He  cares  about  what  a  little  child  does, 
and  the  little  child  begins  to  try  to  please  him.  What 
God  will  think  or  feel  because  of  what  he,  the  little  child, 
does,  becomes  a  subject  for  thought  and  a  topic  of  conver- 
sation. The  child  learns  that  certain  lines  of  conduct  are 
right  and  desirable,  and  he  begins  to  form  ideals  of  con- 
duct, to  distinguish  what  is  true,  and  to  measure  himself 
and  his  acts  and  the  acts  of  other  persons  by  certain  stand- 
ards. It  is  during  the  years  from  three  to  six,  or  the 
period  of  individualizatioft,  that  the  intellect  is  formed  and 
the  religious  consciousness  developed. 

At  about  six  years  of  age  the  child  becomes  a  real  pri- 
mary child,  for  he  enters  the  primary  or  first  grade  in  the 
public  school  and  is  promoted  from  the  Beginners'  to  the 
Primary  Department  in  the  Sunday  school.  He  has  been 
this  child  in  the  making  for  six  years.  What  he  is  he 
manifests  by  his  conduct.  That  which  he  is,  together  with 
that  which  it  is  desirable  and  possible  for  him  to  become 
in  the  next  three  years,  represent  needs  that  should  be 
met.  To  meet  as  many  of  these  needs  as  it  can,  and  to 
meet  them  in  the  way  that  will  contribute  to  the  child's 
truest  and  highest  development,  is  the  purpose  of  the 
Primary  Department.  What  the  primary  child  is,  what 
some  of  his  needs  are,  and  what  the  Primary  Department 
may  do  to  meet  them  will  be  considered  in  detail  in  other 
lessons. 


THE  PRIMARY  CHILD  IN  THE  MAKING  37 

The  Lesson  Contixued 

1.  Name  the  different  stages  of  development  discussed 
in  this  lesson.  They  may  be  defined  approximately  by 
years.  Define  them  in  this  way  and  write  briefly  upon 
each,  stating  what  you  think  are  distinguishing  and  im- 
portant  tendencies   in  each  period. 

2.  In  which  period  does  the  child  begin  to  manifest  cu- 
riosity, activity  in  play,  and  imitation?  By  means  of  a 
story  from  child  life  illustrate  an  early  manifestation  of 
each  of  these  tendencies.  Illustrate  a  later  manifestation. 
Indicate  briefly  how  each  of  these  tendencies  affects  mental 
development. 

3.  If  possible  to  do  so,  observe  carefully  a  child  in  each 
period  of  development,  note  some  distinguishing  charac- 
teristic, and  account  for  it.  In  doing  this  consider  the 
child's  environment,  the  care  and  treatment  given  the  child, 
and  the  emotional  life  of  those  v/ith  whom  he  comes  in 
closest  contact.  If  this  study  cannot  be  made  of  the  three 
periods,  choose  and  present  one. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE   PRIMARY  CHILD  AS   HE   IS 

A  MOVING  van  drew  up  at  the  curbstone  in  front  of  an 
unoccupied  house.  Almost  instantly  Dorothy,  Lorna,  Mar- 
garet, Walter,  and  Edward  gathered  in  a  little  group  near 
by  to  watch  the  process  of  unloading  and  to  wonder  wheth- 
er or  not  there  would  be  children  in  the  family  which  was 
coming.  There  were  two  girls,  and  Walter  and  Edward 
lost  interest  at  once.  One  of  the  girls  was  perhaps  a  little 
older  than  Lorna,  who  was  about  five.  The  other  was  older 
than  Margaret,  who  was  six,  and  younger  than  Dorothy, 
who  was  eight. 

1.  Children  seek  companionsliip.  Dorothy  and  Lorna 
were  sisters.  Margaret  was  a  little  friend  and  neighbor. 
The  children  in  the  two  groups  watched  each  other  from 
a  distance  for  a  time,  then  suddenly  became  acquainted. 
They  played  together  for  a  day,  possibly  for  two  or  three 
days;  then  their  friendship  ceased  to  prosper.  The  three 
seemed  to  ignore  the  two  children.  This  explanation  may 
be  offered  to  account  for  the  situation: 

A  child  needs  experience  in  associating  with  com- 
panions. The  newcomers  were  inexperienced  in  playing 
with  other  children.  They  were  not  ready  to  share,  to 
take  turns,  or  to  give  up  their  way  to  make  their  little 
companions  happy.  They  were  inclined  to  want  the  best 
for  themselves  and  to  be  first  in  all  things.  When  the 
three  children  had  been  yielding  for  about  as  long  a  time 
as  good  manners  to  newcomers  demanded,  they  began  to 
defend  their  own  rights.  When  the  newcomers  found  that 
they  could  not  get  what  they  wanted,  they  ran  crying  to 
their  mother  to  get  it  for  them.     The  three  children  dis- 

38 


THE  PRIMARY  CHILD  AS  HE  IS  Z9> 

approved  of  such  conduct,  and  they  simply  let  the  two 
alone.  It  was  nearly  two  years  before  the  two  groups 
again  united  for  play. 

By  this  time  all  five  children  were  older  and  had  reached 
an  age  when  children's  play  assumes  a  different  form.  They 
united  for  such  games  as  hide-and-seek,  tag,  and  a  few 
representative  and  dramatic  plays;  and  they  played  "house" 
or  "school"  or  "store"  for  an  hour  at  a  time  without  a 
disagreement.  It  was  noticeable  that  the  conduct  of  the 
two  little  sisters  had  become  greatly  modified.  It  con- 
formed much  more  closely  to  social  customs  that  prevail 
among  children,  and  it  is  probable  that  this  is  one  reason 
why  the  children  of  the  two  groups  found  it  possible  to 
play  together.  The  question  is,  Are  such  changes  in  chil- 
dren due  to  their  added  years  or  to  formative  and  regula- 
tive influences  which  come  into  their  lives? 

2.  Scliool  experience  as  a  regulative  influence.  Dur- 
ing the  years  from  one  to  six  the  child  obeys  and  for  the 
greater  part  imitates  adults.  Therefore  the  chief  social 
influence  during  the  years  preceding  the  primary  are  those 
of  adult  personalities.  Even  if  the  child  attends  kinder- 
garten and  the  Beginners'  Department  in  the  Sunday  school, 
the  attention  and  care  given  him  are  personal,  and  the 
dominating  influence  is  that  of  the   teacher. 

At  about  six  years  of  age  the  child  enters  the  Primary 
Department  of  the  public  school,  and  what  happens?  The 
child  finds  himself  one  of  a  quite  large  group  of  children, 
of  his  own  age.  There  are  rules  and  regulations  to  whicli 
he  must  conform.  These  have  been  made  not  for  the  in- 
dividual but  for  the  best  good,  development,  and  happiness 
of  a  number  of  children.  He  is  in  competition  with  others 
of  his  own  age  at  all  times.  There  are  many  occasions 
when  he  must  cooperate  with  them  in  work  and  play.  He 
discovers  very  quickly  that  if  he  is  to  have  an  active  part 
in  the  school  activities  he  must  regulate  his  conduct  and 
conform  to  the  school  rules  and  to  the  ideals  and  stand- 
ards of  conduct  held  by  his  associates.     It   is  apparent. 


40  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

therefore,  that  school  is  a  help  to  the  child  in  regulating 
his  conduct  and  becoming  like  other  children. 

The  teacher's  ideals  and  her  own  conduct,  her  courtesy, 
her  even  and  just  discipline,  the  treatment  of  one  child 
by  another  which  she  upholds,  the  ethical  stories  she  tells 
(we  are  now  considering  the  public-school  teacher),  her 
talks  on  manners,  her  own  truthfulness,  and  the  truth- 
fulness she  requires  of  her  pupils  help  to  shape  the  child's 
ideals.  The  stories  the  child  reads  in  school  are  also 
formative  influences.  Thus  it  happens  that  if  a  child  re- 
ceives but  little  ethical  training  at  home  he  does  not  go 
trainingless.     He  receives  it  in  school. 

3.  The  home  an  agency  of  training.  Most  children, 
however,  receive  helpful  training  in  the  home,  for  it  is 
there  the  average  child  is  shown  truest  love  and  learns 
to  love  in  return;  where  he  experiences  mercy  and  kind- 
ness, justice  and  truth,  patience  and  courtesy,  and  is  ex- 
pected to  practice  these  fundamentals  of  character  in  his 
treatment  of  others.  Children  reflect  this  home  training 
and  the  training  received  in  school.  (The  training  re- 
ceived in  Sunday  school  is  omitted  from  the  present  dis- 
cussion.) And  when  they  meet  in  groups  in  school  and 
on  the  street  and  in  play  they  influence  one  another.  They 
hold  each  other  accountable  to  child  standards  of  right 
and  wrong,  of  truth,  justice,  and  kindness. 

It  is  not  unusual  to  hear  one  of  a  group  of  children  say, 
"It  is  my  turn,"  and  for  others  to  uphold  him.  Perhaps 
one  hears:  "I  think  you  are  mean.  If  you  do  that  again, 
I  am  going  home,"  or  "If  you  do  not  play  fair,  we  will  not 
play  with  you."  The  one  who  is  reprimanded  plays  fair 
or  desists  from  his  teasing,  for  the  one  thing  above  all 
others  which  a  child  of  primary  age  abhors  is  to  play 
alone.  He  wants  to  win  the  game,  to  demonstrate  his  skill 
or  fleetness;  and  to  accomplish  this  he  must  be  one  of  a 
group.  If  he  is  not  a  desirable  member  of  the  group  be- 
cause of  his  conduct,  he  will  restrain  and  control  himself, 
follow  the  rules  of  the  game,  obey  the  dictates  of  the  leader. 


THE  PRIMARY  CHILD  AS  HE  IS  41 

do  whatever  is  required,  rather  than  be  left  out.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  school  regulations  and  practices,  the  influ- 
ence of  teachers,  and  contact  with  companions  of  their  own 
age,  help  children  to  conform  to  child  customs  and  stand- 
ards of  good  conduct. 

4.  The  influence  of  persons.  From  these  studies  of 
child  life  in  the  primary  period  important  truths  should 
begin  to  emerge  and  find  emphasis: 

First,  that  while  character  has  received  an  impetus  in 
earlier  years,  habits  are  not  yet  fixed  at  six,  seven,  and 
eight  years,  undesirable  characteristics  may  be  modified 
or  inhibited,  and  desirable  ones  may  be  developed  to  fuller 
power,^ 

Second,  that  the  primary  period  is  one  of  great  suscep- 
tibility to  regulative  and  formative  influences.  Among 
these  are  the  ideals  and  standards  of  conduct  and  character 
and  the  personal  example  of  those  with  whom  the  child 
comes  in  most  intimate  contact — the  members  of  his  fam- 
ily, his  teachers  in  school,  his  friends  and  playfellows,  and 
his  associates  in  books. 

Third,  that  the  primary  period  must  be  one  of  great 
opportunity  for  religious  instruction  and  the  development 
of  Christian  character. 

The  great  susceptibility  of  the  primary  child  to  social 
influences  may  be  accounted  for  by  certain  innate  ten- 
dencies that  are  prominent  during  the  primary  period. 
Sympathy,  suggestibility,  and  imitation  are  three  of  these 
tendencies.  The  instincts  of  self-abasement  or  subjection 
and  of  self-assertion  or  self-display  are  also  causes  of  sen- 
sitiveness to  influence. 

5.  The  influence  of  sympathy.  Sympathy  is  the  shar- 
ing and  experiencing  of  the  feelings  and  emotions  of  oth- 
ers. It  has  its  beginnings  in  the  period  of  common  con- 
sciousness,- but  is  operative  through  life.     Children  of  all 


1  The  years  from  six  to  twelve  are  desijjnated  by  Professor  Kirk- 
patrick  as  the  period  of  competitive  socialization  and  regulation. 
The  Individual  in  the  Making,  Chapter  VII. 

2  See  Chapter  IV. 


42  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

ages,  even  adults,  respond  to  emotion  expressed  either  by 
bodily  gesture,  by  the  voice,  or  in  the  face.  A  merry  smile 
dissipates  gloom.  Discontent  in  one  breeds  discontent  and 
unhappiness  in  others.  Fear,  curiosity,  and  anger  are 
readily  communicated  from  one  to  another.  Approval  and 
disapproval,  abhorrence  and  disgust,  are  also  communi- 
cable feelings. 

When  the  child  discovers  that  he  is  regarded  with  dis- 
favor because  of  some  act  or  failure  to  act,  the  instinct  of 
self-abasement  is  excited,  and  the  emotion  of  subjection 
results.  He  experiences  unhappiness  and  discomfort.  He 
desires  approval  and  makes  an  effort  to  win  it.  Having 
won  it,  he  experiences  the  emotion  of  elation  due  to  the 
excitement  of  the  instinct  of  self-assertion.  He  has  a  pleas- 
urable feeling  and  continues  to  seek  that  which  will  give 
him  pleasure.  It  is  apparent,  therefore,  that  the  regard 
in  which  one  child  is  held  by  another  or  by  a  group  of 
children  or  by  an  older  person  whom  he  loves,  admires, 
or  before  whom  he  feels  inferior,  is  an  influence  that  affects 
action;  it  tends  to  regulate  it. 

6.  Suggestibility  of  the  child.  Suggestion  is  allied 
to  sympathy  in  that  the  result  is  achieved  through  a  pro- 
cess of  communication.  It  differs  from  sympathy  in  that 
the  something  communicated  is  not  an  emotion  or  feeling 
so  much  as  it  is  an  idea  or  belief,  a  standard  or  ideal,  which 
is  accepted  with  little  or  no  conscious  reflective  thought 
on  the  part  of  the  one  to  whom  it  is  communicated. 

The  child  is  conscious  of  dependence  on  others  and  also 
of  a  lack  of  knowledge.  In  the  presence  of  those  who  care 
for  and  instruct  him  he  has  the  feeling  of  subjection  or 
submission.  He  is  in  a  receptive  .attitude  toward  them, 
which  leads  him  to  accept  any  statement  they  make  and 
to  hold  as  his  own  any  idea  or  belief  they  express  or  ex- 
emplify in  conduct.  Similarly,  with  companions  or  any  one 
who  seems  to  the  child  to  be  superior  in  respect  to  size, 
strength,  knowledge,  reputation,  character  or  favor  with 
others  he  is,  as  a  rule,  responsive  to  the  suggestions  he 


THE  PRIMARY  CHILD  AS  HE  IS  43 

receives  directly  from  them  or  because  of  what  they  say, 
do,  think,  or  feel.  The  suggestibility  of  the  child  is  another 
cause  of  his  quick  response  lo  social  influence  and  also  to 
instruction. 

7.  The  tendency  to  imitate.  The  very  young  child 
tends  to  do  what  he  sees  other  people  do.  If  some  one 
smiles  at  him,  he  smiles;  when  some  one  waves  his  hand 
in  farewell,  he  waves  his.  If  he  is  old  enough  to  play  with 
companions  who  for  any  cause  start  to  run  toward  home 
or  shelter,  he  follows  them  without  thinking  why  they 
are  running  or  why  he  should  follow  them.  When  he 
becomes  old  enough  to  listen  to  a  story,  he  is  very  apt  to 
respond  to  the  idea  of  action  with  action.  In  the  midst 
of  the  narration  he  will  fly  like  a  bird  if  the  story  is  about 
birds,  or  will  run  fast  to  show  how  the  boy  in  the  story  is 
running.  He  will  imitate  peculiarities  of  gesture,  facial 
expression,  and  other  mannerisms  of  those  among  whom 
he  lives.  He  will  do  all  these  things  because  of  his  innate 
tendency  to  imitate  others. 

It  is,  however,  imitation  of  another  form  which  makes 
the  primary  period  vital  to  character  formation.  There 
is  in  the  child  of  primary  age  a  strong  tendency  to  imi- 
tate persons  whom  he  admires.  Left  to  himself,  it  is  prob- 
able that  his  imitations  are  not  wholly  purposeful  or  con- 
scious, but  under  proper  direction  and  stimulus  (given 
usually  through  the  suggestion  of  some  adult)  he  will  de- 
liberately set  himself  to  imitate  his  model,  to  be  like  him, 
and  to  do  as  he  does.  There  is  also  a  tendency  to  carry 
out  actions  similar  to  those  which  the  child  has  observed 
or  heard  about,  which  have  interested  or  appealed  to  him, 
or  which  have  been  made  to  appear  desirable  in  his  eyes. 
He  is  of  an  age  when  he  will  work  for  a  result  if  it  is  not 
too  distant  and  is  worth  while  from  a  child's  point  of 
view.    The  following  is  an  illustration  of  what  is  meant: 

It  is  Christmastime,  and  the  child  is  told  a  story  about 
a  boy  who  went  without  a  desired  Christmas  gift  that  a 
child  in  a  hospital  might  have  a  coveted  toy,  or  performed 


44  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

some  definite  task  for  a  month  that  he  might  earn  money 
with  which  to  help  buy  a  Christmas  dinner  for  a  hungry 
family.  The  story  is  told  in  such  a  way  that  the  action 
of  the  child  who  performed  the  act  of  self-denial  appears 
admirable  and  imitable.  The  child  to  whom  the  story  is 
told  becomes  eager  to  perform  a  similar  act.  He  does  it 
and  experiences  the  joy  of  service.  He  repeats  the  expe- 
rience and  enjoys  the  same  pleasurable  feeling.  By  a  con- 
stant practice  of  such  acts  he  may  grow  out  of  and  aAvay 
from  a  selfishness  that  may  have  characterized  him.  De- 
sirable character-forming  influences  or  the  reverse  come 
into  the  life  of  the  child  through  the  tendency  of  imita- 
tion. 

Children  are  inevitably  suggestible,  firstly  because  of 
their  lack  of  knowledge  and  lack  of  systematic  organization 
of  such  knowledge  as  they  have;  secondly,  because  the 
superior  size,  strength,  knowledge  and  reputation  of  their 
elders  tend  to  evoke  the  impulse  of  submission  and  to 
throw  them  into  the  receptive  attitude.  And  it  is  in  virtue 
largely  of  their  suggestibility  that  they  so  rapidly  absorb 
the  knowledge,  beliefs,  and  especially  the  sentiments  of 
their  social  environment.^ 

The  three  innate  tendencies — sympathy,  suggestibility, 
and  imitation — and  the  self-feeling  instincts — self-abase- 
ment and  self-assertion — are  causes  of  peculiar  suscepti- 
bility to  regulative  and  formative  influences  exerted  by 
persons.  To  show  why  and  how  they  are  causes  has  been 
the  purpose  of  this  lesson.  These  same  tendencies  and 
instincts  make  the  primary  period  one  of  great  opportu- 
nity in  the  development  of  Christian  character,  as  later 
lessons  will  show. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  Observe  a  small  group  of  primary  children  at  play. 
Note  what  form  their  play  is  taking,  whether  or  not  it  is 


Introduction  to  iSocial  Psychology,  McDougall. 


THE  PRIMARY  CHILD  AS  HE  IS  45 

imitative  and  of  what.  Note  also  personal  characteristics 
that  are  exemplified  by  the  conduct  of  different  children 
which  are  desirable  or  the  reverse.  Describe  your  obser- 
vation. 

2.  Observe  a  larger  group  of  primary  children  at  play. 
Note  the  form  their  play  is  taking  and  whether  it  is  one 
of  large  or  small  muscle  activity.  Note  also  the  general 
and  individual  characteristics  exhibited,  and  regulative  in- 
fluences, if  any  are  exerted,  and  the  response  to  these  in- 
fluences by  individual  children.    Describe  your  observation. 

3.  To  what  innate  tendency  or  tendencies  of  the  child's 
is  the  teacher's  greatest  influence  due? 

4.  Why  do  you  consider  the  innate  tendencies — sympathy, 
suggestibility,   and   imitation — important. 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  PRIMARY  CHILD  IN  THE   SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

It  was  the  Sunday  after  the  annual  Promotion  Day.  On 
the  steps  of  the  Sunday-school  building  stood  a  little  child. 
For  two  years  he  had  been  in  the  Beginners'  Department, 
but  that  day  he  was  to  become  a  primary  pupil.  When 
the  door  was  opened,  he  did  not  go  to  the  beginners'  room, 
as  had  been  his  custom,  or  to  the  beginners'  teacher  for 
instruction.  He  knew  where  the  primary  room  was  and, 
impelled  by  his  curiosity  concerning  the  new  experiences 
awaiting  him  there,  went  directly  to  that  room. 

1.  Importance  of  a  right  appeal.  In  addition  to  cu- 
riosity the  child  has  other  natural  qualities.  He  has  in- 
stincts, impulses,  and  desires  that  render  him  susceptible 
to  influence,  guidance,  and  training.^  Among  these  are 
the  imitative  tendency,  imagination,  the  tendency  to  act 
in  response  to  suggestion,  the  tendency  to  play,  the  desire 
for  companionship,  a  spirit  of  cooperation,  readiness  to 
share,  desire  for  approbation,  fear,  a  competitive  interest, 
the  instincts  of  subjection  and  of  self-display,  restlessness, 
the  desire  to  do  things  and  to  accomplish  immediate  and 
pleasurable  results,  a  tendency  to  repeat  the  doing  or  hear- 
ing of  whatever  has  given  him  satisfaction,  and  the  feeling 
of  dependence  and  the  spirit  of  obedience.  In  addition  there 
are  sentiments,  emotions,  and  feelings  such  as  love,  grati- 
tude, and  trust.  These  are  among  the  natural  qualities  by 
which  appeal  is  to  be  made  and  the  whole  nature  of  the 
child  is  to  be  aroused  and  lifted.  It  is  by  doing  right  that 
habits  fundamental  to  Christian  character  are  formed  and 
strengthened. 


1  See  Chapters  IV  and  V. 

46 


THE  PRIMARY  CHILD  IN  SUNDAY  SCHOOL        47 

2.  A  definite  purpose.  It  is  said:  "There  is  no  matter 
so  important,  none  which  so  concerns  all  right-thinking 
people,  as  that  of  getting  our  children  firmly  grounded  in 
righteousness  and  disposed  to  accept  the  ways  of  Christ 
with  respect  to  life."-  Hence  to  "take  the  young  child  and 
secure  in  each  individual,  by  information  and  inspiration 
and  training,  the  development  of  the  disposition  and  the 
power  to  choose  from  within  in  righteous  ways"^  is  the 
task  set  for  the  Primary  Department.  This  is  necessary 
to  the  fulfillment  of  the  larger  aim, — the  development  in 
each  individual  of  a  Christian  character,  which  is  the 
supreme  purpose  of  the  Sunday  school. 

For  a  better  understanding  of  what  is  meant  recall  ob- 
servations of  children  at  play,  in  the  home,  and  at  school. 
A  group  of  boys  and  girls  of  primary  age  were  playing 
hide-and-seek.  Different  children  became  "it"  in  turn. 
Among  the  players  were  those  who  were  conscientious  in 
closing  their  eyes  and  counting  five  hundred  while  the 
others  were  hiding.  Others  watched  while  their  compan- 
ions hid  or  called  five  hundred  before  the  counting  was 
completed.  What  is  indicated  here?  Is  it  not  that  chil- 
dren in  their  associations  with  others  should  play  fair, 
show  consideration,  and  be  obedient  to  what  is  right;  and 
that  these  are  among  the  -habits  of  Christian  living  for 
children? 

An  eight-year-old  boy  was  playing  with  his  two  sisters. 
They  were  older,  but  he  was  strong  and  sturdy  and  had 
an  accurate  estimate  of  his  own  strength.  He  became  rough 
in  his  play  and  began  to  trip  up  his  sisters  as  they  ran 
and  to  pull  their  hair.  His  teasing  passed  the  limit  of 
endurance,  and  they  begged  him  to  stop.  But  he  exerted 
no  self-control  until  they  appealed  to  their  mother,  when 
he  yielded  an  unwilling  obedience  to  the  word  of  authority. 
We  observe  that  other  habits  which  are  desirable  for  the 


-  The   Use   of   Motives   in   Teaching   Morals   and   Religion,   Gallo- 
way. 
3  IMd. 


48  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

child  to  form  are  prompt  and  cheerful  obedience  to  au- 
thority, merging  gradually  into  obedience  to  what  is  right, 
ready  sympathy  for  others,  and  rightful  yielding  of  one's 
own  way  for  the  good  or  pleasure  of  other  people. 

One  day  a  mother  was  obliged  to  leave  her  two  little 
daughters  alone  at  home  for  a  part  of  the  afternoon.  In 
a  box  on  a  table  in  the  living  room  was  candy,  which  the 
younger  of  the  children  proposed  eating.  Her  sister  re- 
minded her  that  their  mother  did  not  approve  of  their 
having  candy  at  all  times,  and  that  it  would  be  wrong  to 
eat  it  without  her  permission.  Then,  because  the  candy 
continued  to  appeal,  and  the  little  sister  suggested  that 
the  mother  need  not  be  told  if  she  ate  it,  the  older  child 
urged  the  strongest  motives  for  right  conduct  of  which 
she  could  think.  She  said,  "It  would  be  wicked  to  eat 
the  candy  and  not  tell  mother,  and  God  would  know  if 
mother  did  not;  and  to-night  you  could  not  tell  him  that 
you  had  tried  to  be  a  good  girl" — with  the  result  that  the 
little  sister  left  the  candy  untouched  in   the  box. 

The  mother  was  one  whose  children  had  learned  to  obey 
her,  not  because  they  feared  punishment  but  because  they 
loved  her  so  truly  that  they  did  not  want  to  grieve  her  by 
doing  wrong.  Similarly,  when  the  children  had  some  con- 
scious choice  to  make,  she  had  led  them  to  do  right  from 
the  motive  of  showing  love  to  God  and  of  being  obedient 
to  him.  From  this  illustration  it  is  evident  that  even  young 
children  are  capable  of  holding  in  mind  childlike  standards 
of  right  conduct  and  of  making  right  choices  from  motives. 

It  is  largely  by  suggestion  and  imitation  and  by  appeal 
to  other  of  the  child's  natural  qualities  that  he  is  helped 
to  begin  the  formation  of  right  habits.  But  as  his  expe- 
riences multiply  and  ideas  take  shape  he  may  be  led  to  act 
more  and  more  consciously  and  to  make  right  choices  from 
higher  motives.  He  should  try  to  do  what  is  right  for  the 
sake  of  father,  mother,  teacher,  friends  and  companions, 
the  heavenly  Father,  and  to  shape  his  conduct  after  the 
pattern  shown  by  Jesus. 


THE  PRIMARY  CHILD  IN  SUNDAY  SCHOOL       49 

3.  Knowing  the  child.  To  meet  the  needs  of  the  child 
and  to  give  him  the  religious  experience  and  training  that 
may  be  provided  for  him  in  the  Sunday  school  it  is  neces- 
sary for  the  teacher  to  know  him  as  he  is.  The  teacher 
will  find  it  helpful  to  reread  Chapters  IV  and  V,  and  to 
study  such  books  as  Life  in  the  Making,  Barclay-Brown 
and  others;  Fundamentals  of  Child  Study  and  The  Indi- 
vidual in  the  Making,  Kirkpatrick.  In  addition  there 
must  be  thoughtful  and  sympathetic  observation  of  chil- 
dren and  friendly  and  intimate  intercourse  with  individual 
children.  It  is  from  such  association  that  strengths  and 
weaknesses  in  a  child's  character  are  to  be  learned,  and  an 
estimate  made  of  tendencies  that  should  be  diverted  from 
wrong  to  right  channels  or  inhibited,  and  of  right  habits 
that  should  be  developed  and  strengthened. 

There  is  another  method  by  which  one  may  arrive  at 
the  habits  of  right  feeling,  thinking,  speaking,  and  conduct 
which  are  desirable  for  the  child  and  which  the  Sunday 
school  should  help  him  to  form.  This  is  to  conceive  of  him 
as  it  is  possible  for  him  to  become. 

Action  is  a  great  revealer  of  character.  Think,  there- 
fore, what  that  child  would  do.  He  would  make  an  effort 
toward  self-control  and  would  make  right  choices  with  an 
increasing  degree  of  consciousness.  He  would  try  to  be 
truthful,  honest,  generous,  and  cheerfully  obedient.  He 
would  be  forgetful  of  self  in  social  relations,  would  be  fair 
and  just,  eager  to  help  and  to  serve.  He  would  show  some 
recognition  of  his  heavenly  Father  in  his  daily  life,  such 
as  daily  prayer,  dependence  on  him  for  help  and  guidance 
in  being  good  and  seeking  his  forgiveness  in  wrongdoing. 
He  would  be  reverent  in  Sunday  school,  participate  in  the 
worship,  and  be  attentive  to  instruction.  He  would  do  all 
these  things  in  an  intermittent,  childlike  way,  but  it 
would  be  evident  to  those  who  knew  him  that  he  was  try- 
ing to  follow  Jesus  and  to  express  love,  trust,  and  rever- 
ence for  his  heavenly  Father. 

4.  Getting   right  habits   started.    Having   determined 


50  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

many  of  the  right  habits  the  child  should  form,  one's  next 
step  is  to  get  these  habits  started.  As  has  been  intimated, 
for  a  young  child  this  is  done  largely  by  making  the  right 
appeal  to  instincts,  desires,  and  impulses.  But  for  the 
child  to  continue  doing  these  right  things  unconsciously  or 
in  response  to  appeal  is  not  building  character.  It  is  only 
when  he  makes  a  choice,  becomes  self-determining  with 
regard  to  conduct,  and  acts  from  motives  that  character  is 
developed.  Therefore,  to  get  the  child  to  do  right  is  only 
the  beginning  of  the  teacher's  task.  In  its  larger  aspects 
it  is  to  develop  the  child's  initiative,  that  he  may  become 
self-active  in  making  choices,  and  to  help  him  choose  from 
an  enlarging  conception  of  what  is  right  and  to  choose  con- 
sciously from  the  motive  of  loving  and  obeying  God.  This 
requires  an  intelligent  understanding  and  use  of  the  means 
and  methods  by  which  these  desirable  results  are  to  be  ac- 
complished. One  of  the  purposes  of  this  book  is  to  present 
and  discuss  methods  of  work  and  to  help  train  the  teacher 
for  her  task.  See  the  following  chapters.  See  also  the 
teachers'  textbooks  on  the  graded  primary  lessons:  BiMe 
Stories  for  the  Sunday  School  and  Home,  Years  1,  2,  and  3. 
In  addition  there  should  be  the  reading  and  rereading  of 
the  four  Gospels;  for,  briefly  stated,  it  is  Christ's  way  in 
respect  to  life  which  is  to  be  shown  the  child,  and  along 
which  he  is  to  be  led.  And  it  is  only  the  Christ-filled  life 
that  can  lead  the  child. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  What  is  the  child's  attitude  toward  one  who  is  older, 
who  is  felt  to  be  superior,  and  who  possesses  greater  ability 
and  knowledge?  Find  the  answer  in  Chapter  V.  What, 
then,  is  the  child's  attitude  toward  instruction? 

2.  To  a  child  of  primary  age  God  is  a  Person,  an  all-wise 
and  powerful,  great,  and  mysterious  heavenly  Father.  When 
thinking  of  God  or  viewing  some  natural  object  that  exem- 
plifies his  power  and  creativity,  the  child  has  a  sense  of 
God's  presence.     What  natural  instinct  of  the  child  may 


THE  PRIMARY  CHILD  IN  SUNDAY  SCHOOL       51 

be  excited  by  this  sense?  See  Chapter  V.  What  religious 
feelings  would  result,  and  what  response  in  action  would 
you  expect? 

3.  The  instinct  of  self-assertion,  or  self-display,  may  be 
excited  by  the  consciousness  of  observation  by  people.  The 
response  is  the  desire  to  be  one's  best  self,  to  win  appro- 
bation and  praise.  Can  you  think  of  a  weak  or  low  mo- 
tive from  which  a  child  might  act  who  had  a  sense  of  God's 
nearness  and  presence?  From  what  strong  or  high  motive 
would  you  encourage  him  to  act? 

4.  A  child  of  primary  age  who  has  been  told  about  the 
ministry  and  service  of  Jesus  shows  a  readiness  and  eager- 
ness to  help  and  serve,  to  be  kind  and  good.  What  natural 
tendencies  has  the  child  to  make  him  responsive  to  such 
stories  at  an  age  and  stage  of  religious  development  when 
he  cannot  understand  or  appreciate  their  full  religious  sig- 
nificance?    See  Chapters  V  and  VI. 

5.  Explain  the  relation  of  repeated  acts  to  habits. 


CHAPTER  VII 
THAT   THE   CHILD  MAY  BECOME 

Religious  instruction  is  one  of  the  means  for  nurturing 
the  developing  religious  life.  Hence  instruction  should 
find  a  place  in  every  plan  of  training  for  the  primary  child. 

Since  most  of  our  lessons  are  from  the  Bible,  let  us  con- 
sider a  typical  Bible  lesson  for  a  child  who  has  been  pro- 
moted from  the  Beginners'  Department  to  the  Primary. 

1.  Aim  or  purpose.  It  is  desirable  for  the  child  to 
have  a  consciousness  of  God's  presence  and  to  show  some 
recognition  of  God  in  his  daily  life.  To  develop  this  con- 
sciousness and  to  inspire  to  the  performance  of  what  the 
child  should  do  becomes  the  purpose  of  a  lesson.  For  the 
beginning,  or  point  of  contact,  look  to  the  child's  environ- 
ment and  immediate  interests.  It  may  be  the  harvest  sea- 
son. If  it  is,  the  child  probably  finds  fresh  fruits  on  the 
breakfast  and  lunch  table;  he  sees  them  displayed  in  shop 
windows;  and  it  may  be  that  at  school  he  is  drawing  and 
coloring  pictures  of  red  and  green  apples,  of  yellow  pears, 
of  ripe  peaches  and  grapes,  and  acquiring  information 
about  how  the  world  is  fed.  In  his  number  work  he  may 
be  playing  store  and  having  experience  in  selling  fruits 
to  companions  impersonating  parents  buying  fruit  for  their 
children.  The  teacher  at  Sunday  school  places  different 
kinds  of  fruits  and  vegetables  into  a  box  or  basket.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  lesson  period  she  produces  the  basket, 
and  the  children  wonder  what  may  be  inside.  (Note  the 
appeal  to  curiosity.)  To  discover  the  contents  one  child 
and  then  another  puts  his  hand  inside,  feels  something, 
grasps  it,  and  tells  what  he  thinks  it  is.  Next  he  with- 
draws the  object  and  shows  it  to  his  companions,  who  de- 
cide whether  or  not  he  named  it  correctly.  The  children 
are  in  competition  with  each  other,  and  interest  is  keen. 

52 


THAT  THE  CHILD  MAY  BECOME  53 

Next  the  children  draw  and  color  pictures  of  fruit.  (Note 
the  recognition  of  the  child's  desire  to  do  things  that  are 
pleasurable.)  The  children  look  at  pictures  of  fruit  trees 
in  blossom  and  of  trees  bearing  ripe  fruit.  By  conversa- 
tion and  questions  the  children  are  led  to  think  of  God 
as  the  Source  or  Giver  of  these  good  things.  (Note  the 
advance  from  that  which  gives  the  child  information  to 
that  which  arouses  feeling.)  A  story  follows.  It  may  be 
"God,  the  Creator  of  All  Things,"  based  on  Genesis  1;  "Hun- 
gry Travelers,"  from  verses  selected  from  Exodus  12  and 
16;  or  some  other  Bible  story.  The  appeal  is  to  the  feel- 
ings, for  the  children  learn  that  God  is  the  Giver  or  Source 
of  daily  blessings,  and  their  love  and  gratitude  are  stirred. 

After  the  story  the  teacher  inquires,  "What  would  you 
like  to  say  to  God  for  his  good  gifts  of  fruit?"  (Note  the 
appeal  to  impulse  and  desire  and  to  the  child's  initiative.) 
After  the  children  have  told  her  what  to  say,  the  teacher 
leads  in  prayer,  the  children  repeating  the  words  after  her 
clause  by  clause.  The  habit  of  speaking  intimately  to 
God  is  begun  or  is  strengthened,  and  there  is  nothing  that 
brings  the  child  closer  to  him  than  communion  with  him. 
After  the  prayer  the  teacher  asks,  "What  will  you  do  dur- 
ing the  week  to  show  love  and  thanks  to  God?"  (Note  the 
purpose  to  help  the  child  relate  the  lesson  to  his  daily 
life  and  conduct.)  The  children  offer  suggestions,  discuss 
them,  and  decide  upon  some  act  of  obedience,  helpfulness, 
or  kindness  which  they  may  carry  out  at  home  or  as  a 
class.  What  is  accomplished  for  the  child?  The  conscious- 
ness of  God  is  deepened,  the  disposition  and  power  to  obey 
and  to  show  him  love  are  developed,  the  child's  spiritual 
life  is  quickened. 

Interests  crowd  interests  in  childhood,  hence  the  teacher 
does  not  permit  the  child  to  forget.  The  next  week  she 
asks  what  he  did  at  home  or  at  school  to  show  love  to 
God.  If  he  was  unsuccessful  in  doing  what  he  wanted  to 
do,  she  helps  him  to  understand  why.  If  he  forgot,  she 
encourages  him  to  try  again.     If  some  cooperative  activity 


54  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

was  planned  the  preceding  Sunday,  teacher  and  children 
unite  to  carry  out  the  plan  for  making  someone  happy 
or  for  giving  aid.  Another  lesson  is  taught.  It  has  the 
same  or  a  similar  purpose  as  the  one  taught  the  preceding 
Sunday.  After  the  story  the  teacher  asks  the  children 
what  they  would  like  to  say  to  God  and  what  they  will  do 
to  show  him  love,  and  helps  them  to  act  in  response  to  the 
desires  and  impulses  which  the  lesson  awakened.  Through 
repetition  of  acts  habits  begin  to  form,  and  through  a  re- 
currence of  the  feeling  of  gratitude,  love  and  gratitude  to 
God  are  deepened. 

2.  The  importance  of  expression.  Consider  another 
lesson.  It  is  desirable  that  the  child  shall  have  a  ready 
sympathy  for  others,  be  helpful  and  loving  in  his  daily 
life,  and  learn  gradually  to  act  from  the  motive  of  imitat- 
ing the  example  of  Jesus  and  being  obedient  to  his  teach- 
ings. How  is  one  to  make  the  right  appeal,  to  awaken  the 
desires  that  will  lead  the  child  to  act  more  consciously  and 
purposefully  in  imitation  of  Jesus?  The  story  "Jesus  and 
Four  Fishermen,"  based  on  the  Bible  passage  Luke  5.  1-11, 
is  told  in  such  a  way  as  to  picture  Jesus  with  his  friends 
and  to  reveal  his  love  and  kindness,  his  sympathy  and 
readiness  to  help. 

After  telling  the  story  the  teacher  connects  with  it  some 
information,  as  for  example:  She  gives  the  name  that  was 
given  to  Jesus  because  he  helped  people  wherever  he  went — 
"Jesus  of  Nazareth,  .  .  .  who  went  about  doing  good."  Then 
she  asks  the  children  what  they  would  like  to  do  for  some 
friend.  It  is  possible  that  Valentine's  Day  is  approaching, 
and  someone  proposes  sending  valentines.  The  children 
plan  what  kind  to  send  and  where  and  when  they  will 
meet  to  make  or  buy  the  valentines.  The  whole  nature  of 
the  child  is  enlisted  not  for  self  but  for  others.  This 
lesson  is  only  one  of  a  group  with  opportunities  for  leading 
the  children  to  think  of  many  lines  of  conduct  and  to  act 
in  response  to  ideas  of  what  is  right  and  kind  and  Christ- 
like   in    association   with    friends    and    companions.      The 


THAT  THE  CHILD  MAY  BECOME  55 

teacher  who  knows  her  pupils  can  by  conversation,  ques- 
tions, and  suggestions  guide  the  lesson  expression  in  the 
way  best  adapted  to  meet  their  individual  needs. 

3.  Progress  in  instriiction.  At  this  point  reread  Chap- 
ter II,  in  which  a  description  is  given  of  the  method  used 
in  teaching  the  lesson  "A  Busy  Day  at  Capernaum,"  based 
on  the  Bible  passages  Matt.  8. 14-17  and  Mark  1. 21-34. 
The  story  of  what  Jesus  did  could  not  help  adding  to  the 
child's  wonder  at  the  love  and  power  of  Jesus  and  deep- 
ening the  child's  love  and  reverence  for  him.  From  these 
feelings  would  spring  the  desire  to  show  him  love.  But 
the  impulse  might  be  weak.  Left  to  himself,  the  child  might 
not  know  what  to  do,  hence  it  is  desirable  for  the  teacher 
to  ask,  "What  shall  we  try  to  do  each  day  for  love  of  Je- 
sus?" Conversation  would  follow.  The  children  would  tell 
what  they  thought.  The  teacher  would  give  her  ideas, 
using  illustrations  from  child  life  as  they  were  needed; 
and  the  children  would  begin  to  perceive  what  they  might 
do  and  should  do  for  Jesus.  As  must  be  apparent,  this 
lesson  is  not  suited  to  little  children  recently  promoted 
from  the  Beginners'  Department,  but  to  the  oldest  and  most 
thoughtful  among  the  primary  boys  and  girls. 

Thus,  lesson  teaching  in  the  Primary  Department  in- 
cludes the  giving  of  instruction.  It  imparts  information. 
It  puts  the  child  in  possession  of  a  Bible  story  and  a 
Bible  verse.  But  the  value  lies  in  the  appeal  it  makes  to 
the  child's  impulses  and  desires,  in  the  religious  feeling 
awakened  or  strengthened,  and  in  the  child's  response.  It 
is  not  what  the  child  knows  as  a  result  of  the  instruction 
in  the  Primary  Department'  that  is  most  important;  it  is 
what  he  feels,  thinks,  says,  does,  and  therefore  is.  We 
teach  not  for  that  passive  thing  called  information  but 
for  a  result  in  character  and  life. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  In  the  lesson  which  leads  the  child  to  see  God  as  the 
Source  or  Giver  of  all  good,  what  point  of  contact  is  found 


56  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

with  the  child's  experience?  What  use  is  made  of  curios- 
ity and  competition? 

The  activity  provided  for  the  child  is  pleasurable  to  him. 
State  in  what  way  it  is  also  valuable  in  the  development 
of  the  lesson. 

How  do  the  pictures  help?  What  feelings  are  aroused 
by  the  story?  In  what  two  ways  are  those  feelings  ex- 
pressed? 

2.  Discover  and  indicate  the  appeals  to  interest,  instincts, 
desires,  and  impulses  in  the  lessons  "Jesus  and  Four  Fisher- 
men" and  "A  Busy  Day  at  Capernaum." 

3.  What  is  the  purpose  of  using  such  questions  at  the 
end  of  the  lesson  as  "What  would  you  like  to  say  to  God?" 
"What  will  you  do?" 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  PRIMARY  COURSE  OF  STUDY 

If  lessons  are  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  primary  child, 
they  must  be  chosen  especially  for  him.  A  familiar  illus- 
tration will  make  this  clear.  Turn  the  pages  of  a  much- 
used  Bible — turn  them  thoughtfully  and  slowly.  What  do 
you  find?  Some  pages  are  worn  thin,  some  are  held  in 
place  by  strips  of  pasted  paper.  That  a  certain  chapter 
may  be  turned  to  with  readiness  at  all  times,  one  finds  it 
indicated  by  a  bit  of  ribbon,  a  cherished  letter,  a  card,  or 
other  marker.  And  does  not  one  also  find  certain  verses 
underlined,  and  penciled  notes  and  dates  beside  others? 
What  do  the  worn  and  crumpled  pages  mean?  Is  it  not 
that  here  are  the  Bible  passages  that  are  turned  to  oftenest 
for  help  or  comfort,  for  inspiration  or  guidance?  The  un- 
derscored and  dated  verses — are  they  not  those  which  have 
given  aid  at  some  particular  time? 

1.  Meeting  the  needs  of  the  child.  The  needs  of  the 
child  are  different  from  those  of  the  adult.  At  six,  seven, 
or  eight  years  of-  age  he  is  still  near  the  beginnings  of  life. 
He  is  not  yet  far  removed  from  the  beginnings  of  his  reli- 
gious life.  He  needs  the  kind  of  instruction  and  training 
that  will  help  him  develop  "a  religious  life  that  is  beau- 
tiful and  strong  and  that  will  build  a  Christian  charac- 
ter."^ 

A  child  cannot  find  his  way  unaided  in  the  Bible.  Bible 
stories  and  verses  must  be  found  for  him.  These  should 
be  chosen  in  the  same  spirit  as  that  in  which  the  adult  goes 
to  sources  of  strength.  The  stories  should  give  the  child 
satisfaction.  The  truth  brought  to  him  must  be  real  and 
vital  for  him  and  applicable  in  his  present  life.     The  test 


1  Bible  Stories  for  the  Sunday  School  and  Home. 
■    57 


58  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

of  any  course  of  study  offered  for  primary  children  is  what 
it  accomplishes  in  the  life  of  the  child.- 

2.  Progress  by  themes.  Quite  frequently  it  happens 
that  a  teacher  who  has  taught  a  lesson  one  Sunday  and 
has  taught  it  well  finds  the  next  Sunday  that  the  child  has 
almost  forgotten  it.  This  is  because  so  many  days  have 
intervened  since  the  lesson  was  taught,  and  each  day  has 
been  full  of  new  interests.  There  is  so  much  that  is  new 
in  the  child's  world,  so  much  that  is  claiming  his  attention, 
that  if  he  is  to  know  any  one  thing  well  he  must  be  per- 
mitted to  learn  it  slowly.  One  phase  of  a  truth  must  be 
presented  to  him  one  day,  and  a  different  phase  of  the 
same  truth  the  next  day. 

A  course  of  study  for  the  Primary  Department  should 
develop  by  themes  or  subjects  with  as  many  lessons  under 
each  theme  as  are  necessary  for  the  child  to  understand 
the  truth  and  to  relate  it  to  his  own  life  by  acting  in  re- 
sponse to  it.  A  course  of  study  which  presents  one  truth 
one  Sunday  and  a  wholly  different  and  unrelated  truth 
the  next  Sunday  is  not  ideal  for  a  six-,  seven-,  or  eight-year- 
old  child. 

3.  Suitable  memory  verses.  Another  test  of  a  primary 
course  of  study  is  its  Bible  verses  for  memorization.  Not 
long  ago  a  primary  teacher  said  with  pride:  "My  pupils 
know  a  Bible  verse  for  every  letter  in  the  alphabet.  All 
that  I  need  to  do  is  to  say  'A,'  and  they  will  give  me  a 
Bible  verse  beginning  with  'A,'  and  so  on."  Quickly  other 
teachers  began  telling  what  their  pupils  were  able  to  do. 
One  reported  that  her  pupils  had  a  verse  for  each  finger 
of  each  hand  and  pretended  to  fit  on  gloves  as  the  different 
verses  were  recited.  She  said  that  the  children  never 
failed  to  give  the  right  verse  for  the  right  finger. 

Other  teachers  questioned  the  value  to  the  child  of  Bible 
verses  that  had  been  memorized  but  not  related  to  life  in 
any  way.    The  first  teacher  hastened  to  add  that  the  verses 

2  See  Chapter  VI,  page  47 ;  Chapter  VII,  page  53 ;  and  Chap- 
ter XXI,  page  130. 


THE  PRIMARY  COURSE  OF  STUDY  59 

were  explained  before  they  were  memorized.  The  other 
teachers  contended  that  more  than  explanation  is  neces- 
sary: a  Bible  verse  must  be  connected  with  or  related  to 
the  child's  life.  For  example:  A  teacher  who  had  listened 
to  the  teaching  of  one  of  the  temperance  lessons  in  the 
primary  graded  lesson  course  said:  "The  lesson  that  helps 
the  child  to  control  himself,  to  choose  the  food  that  will 
make  him  strong,  instead  of  rich,  unnutritious  foods,  is 
more  truly  a  child's  temperance  lesson  than  the  one  that 
presents  the  evils  of  intemperance.  The  Bible  verses  *Do 
that  which  is  right  and  good,'  'Abhor  that  which  is  evil; 
cleave  to  that  which  is  good,'  and  *Eat  in  due  season  for 
strength'  are  a  child's  temperance  verses.  I  know  that 
I  am  right,  because  they  are  verses  which  a  child  can 
act  on.  When  my  brother  was  a  little  child  he  could  re- 
cite many  Bible  verses  and  the  texts  that  were  regarded 
as>  the  only  temperance  texts  in  those  days:  'Wine  is  a 
mocker,  strong  drink  a  brawler;  and  whosoever  erreth 
thereby  is  not  wise;'  'Who  hath  woe?  Who  hath  sorrow?' 
and  the  verse  beginning  'Look  not  thou  upon  the  wine 
when  it  is  red'  and  ending  with  the  words  'at  the  last  it 
biteth  like  a  serpent,  and  stingeth  like  an  adder.'  These 
verses  were  his  mental  possession,  but  that  was  all.  They 
were  wholly  unrelated  to  his  life.  His  need  as  a  child 
was  to  learn  self-control.  This  need  was  not  met,  and 
what  was  the  consequence?  When  he  grew  older  he  was 
without  power  to  control  himself,  and  he  could  not  resist 
temptation.  Truth,  even  God's  truth,  must  be  linked  with 
the  child's  present  life  and  need  if  it  is  to  be  effective." 

To  touch  the  present  life  of  the  child,  to  deepen  some 
religious  feeling,  to  inspire  to  the  performance  of  some 
religious  act  that  it  may  be  made  permanent  as  a  habit, 
should  be  the  purpose  of  the  memory  verses  of  the  primary 
course  of  study.  They  should  be  connected  with  or  grow 
out  of  a  Bible  story,  that  the  child  may  see  them  exSmpli- 
field  in  life  and  receive  suggestions  from  them  for  his  own 
life.     In  this  way  the  Bible  verses  become  more  than  ver- 


60  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

bal  knowledge,  more  than  precepts,  more  than  truths  un- 
derstood. They  become  motives  for  action,  incentives  to 
the  performance  of  God's  will  for  a  child.  The  primary- 
course  of  study  is  therefore  to  be  tested  by  the  relation 
of  its  memory  verses  to  child  life. 

Emphasis  is  placed  upon  the  necessity  for  the  religious 
instruction  to  be  suited  to  the  stage  of  advancement  of  the 
learner.  This  means  that  it  must  keep  pace  with  the 
child's  development.  He  enters  the  Primary  Department 
at  about  six  years  of  age.  The  primary  period  is  three 
years.  Unless  the  child  is  abnormal — that  is,  deficient 
mentally  or  weak  physically — he  advances  in  his  school 
work  during  the  years  six  to  nine.  In  this  time  his  ex- 
periences multiply.  He  becomes  conscious  of  greater  free- 
dom and  power.  Each  day  he  has  impulses  to  do  and  dare 
which  are  new  to  him.  As  he  uses  his  freedom  and  power 
he  finds  himself  in  new  situations.  Life  unfolds  and  de- 
velops before  him  and  in  him.  Day  by  day  he  has  not 
only  an  ever-increasing  mental  ability  and  power  but  new 
spiritual  needs.  A  test  of  any  primary  course  of  study  is 
its  plan  for  keeping  pace  with  the  developing  life  and 
needs  of  the  child  through  the  three  years  he  remains  in 
the  Primary  Department. 

4,  Importance  of  a  progressive  course  of  study.  A 
course  of  study  in  which  the  child  may  progress  steadily 
for  three  years  is  the  only  one  that  can  meet  his  needs  in 
the  best  way  and  contribute  to  his  spiritual  development 
throughout  the  primary  period.  A  primary  course  may  be 
three  years  long.  During  the  three  years  it  may  teach 
many  truths — in  fact,  all  the  truths  taught  by  a  course 
that  offers  three  grades  of  lessons.  But  as  long  as  each 
one  of  the  lessons  for  three  years  is  taught  to  six-,  seven-, 
and  eight-year-old  children  at  the  same  time — that  is,  de- 
partmentally — it  is  inevitable  that  lessons  suited  to  eight- 
year-aid  children  will  at  some  time  be  taught  to  six-year- 
old  children.  Lessons  suited  for  first-year  children,  who 
are  little  more  than  beginners,  will  be  taught  to  girls  and 


THE  PRIMARY  COURSE  OF  STUDY  61 

boys  nearly  juniors.  If  the  lessons  are  adapted — that  is, 
if  the  first-year  lessons  are  made  more  difficult,  and  the 
third-year  simplified — then  a  lesson  on  one  plane,  suited 
to  one  stage  of  development,  would  be  taught  for  three 
years.  It  is  important  for  the  child  to  make  continuous 
progress  in  his  religious  studies  and  for  his  developing 
needs  to  be  met.  A  graded  and  progressive  course  of  in- 
struction is  therefore  recommended  for  use  in  the  Pri- 
mary Department. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  What  is  the  purpose  of  the  Primary  Department? 

2.  What  are  some  of  the  means  for  nurturing  the  child's 
religious  life? 

3.  We  discover  what  religious  nurture  should  accomplish 
in  the  life  of  the  child  by  making  a  study  of  his  needs.  To 
do  this,  study  the  child  as  he  is  and  as  it  is  desirable  for 
him  to  become.  What  a  child  becomes  he  manifests  by  his 
conduct.  What  conduct  do  you  think  it  is  desirable  and 
possible  for  him  to  manifest  in  his  home  and  school,  Sun- 
day school,  and  play  life? 

4.  Suggest  a  Bible  story  or  stories  that  you  would  use 
with  a  primary  child,  and  tell  what  you  think  his  response 
would  be. 

5.  Give  several  Bible  verses  you  would  teach  a  primary 
child.  State  the  age  of  the  child  to  whom  you  would  teach 
the  verses,  and  tell  what  need  you  think  each  would  meet. 

6.  Why  is  a  lesson  course  arranged  by  themes  better  than 
one  that  teaches  a  new  truth  each  Sunday?  Give  an  illus- 
tration of  several  lessons   under  one  theme. 

7.  Assume  that  the  superintendent  of  the  school  or  some 
teacher  in  the  Primary  Department  is  opposed  to  graded 
lessons.  Prepare  arguments  to  convince  the  objector 
that  graded  lessons  meet  the  needs  of  the  child  much  more 
surely  than  a  departmental  lesson.  Find  some  of  your 
arguments  in  the  enlarging  interests  and  activities  of  the 
child  between  the  years  six  and  nine. 


CHAPTER  IX 
EVERY  CHILD  LOVES  A  STORY 

A  GENERAL  superintendent  opened  the  door  of  the  pri- 
mary room  and  stood  in  the  doorway.  He  nodded  in  greet- 
ing to  the  secretary  standing  near  him  and  to  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  department  at  the  other  end  of  the  room, 
then  looked  interestedly  from  class  to  class.  There  were 
ten  classes, — three  first-,  four  second-,  and  three  third-year. 
In  each  class  there  were  eight  pupils  listening  to  a  story 
told  by  the  class  teacher. 

A  number  of  the  children  faced  the  superintendent. 
Several  looked  up  when  he  opened  the  door,  but  they  did 
not  really  see  him.  The  first-year  children  were  out  in 
the  snow  and  cold  with  little  creatures  in  feathers  and  fur, 
seeking  shelter  and  food.  Keen  interest  showed  in  the 
children's  faces,  and  tenderness.  The  second-year  children 
showed  some  excitement.  They  were  not  in  the  class-room, 
but  in  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  praising  Jesus  and  singing 
with  the  children  there, 

"Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord; 
Hosanna  in  the  highest."^ 

The  children  in  the  third-year  classes  were  listening  to  the 
story  of  the  good  Samaritan.'  In  their  faces  showed  differ- 
ent emotions:  pity  for  the  man  fallen  among  thieves,  scorn 
for  the  priest  and  Levite,  admiration  for  the  Samaritan  and 
his  acts.  The  superintendent  watched  and  listened  for  a 
moment,  then  said  to  the  secretary,  "To  speak  to  teachers 
and  children  would  be  a  serious  interruption  to  the  work 


1  Bible   Stories    for   the   Sunday   School   and   Home,   Years    1,    2, 
and  3. 

62 


EVERY  CHILD  LOVES  A  STORY        63 

being  done,"  and  withdrew,  closing  the  door  softly  behind 
him. 

1.  The  story  lias  absorbing  interest.  Not  only  the 
children  in  that  Primary  Department  love  a  story,  but  all 
children  do.  This  love  is  instinctive.  It  is  a  gift  to  child- 
hood from  the  time  when  there  were  no  books,  and  the  story 
told  or  interpreted  dramatically  was  the  only  means  of 
transmitting  knowledge  and  culture.  Because  of  the  child's 
love  for  a  story  he  gives  attentive  interest  to  almost  any 
kind.  He  concentrates  his  whole  mental  energy  upon  the 
one  he  understands  and  enjoys,  hence  the  story  is  a  valua- 
ble means  of  instruction. 

In  the  Primary  Department  of  the  Sunday  school  large 
use  is  made  of  the  Bible  story.  Usually  it  requires  adapta- 
tion for  the  child  to  understand  it,  and  in  some  cases  be- 
comes a  story  based  on  a  biblical  incident.  Stories  from 
other  sources  are  told  occasionally  for  illustration  and  to 
make  the  teaching  more  concrete;  as  for  example,  the  story, 
"Winter  Shelters,"  that  was  being  told  in  the  first-year 
classes  described. 

The  story  the  child  likes  best  to  hear  is  one  that  pictures 
life  in  action.  The  reason  for  the  child's  preference  is  not 
difficult  to  understand,  for  when  one  stops  to  think  and 
realize  it,  the  child's  world  is  largely  a  picture  world. 
Through  all  his  waking  hours  there  is  something  to  see. 
Except  when  he  is  asleep  there  are  people  around  him  who 
are  always  doing  sometMng.  Objects  are  moving  or  being 
moved  before  him.  Life  and  its  meanings  are  being  con- 
stantly interpreted  to  him  by  moving  pictures.  The  child's 
tendency  is  to  identify  himself  with  the  life  the  story  por- 
trays. In  much  the  same  way  that  the  young  child  in  the 
imitating  and  socializing  stage  ^  shares  the  mental  life  of 
the  people  about  him,  so  the  primary  child  has  a  feeling 
of  common  consciousness  with  the  one  about  whom  he  is 
hearing,  and  shares  his  feelings,  thoughts  and  acts.^ 


2  See  Chapter  IV,  page  28. 

3  See  Chapter  V,  pages  33,  34. 


64  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

Tell  a  story  and  watch  the  little  listener's  face.  In  dif- 
ficult situations  the  child  looks  thoughtful  or  shows  anxiety. 
If  the  hero  is  in  trouble,  shadows  creep  into  the  child's 
eyes,  sometimes  the  tears  fall.  If  the  story  approaches  the 
climax  with  a  joyous  note,  the  child  shows  joy  and  happi- 
ness. If  the  story  depicts  self-denial,  courage,  or  nobility 
of  conduct,  the  child  shows  by  his  earnest,  thoughtful  at- 
tention, by  uplifted  look,  by  exclamation  or  comment  that 
he  is  thinking  rightly,  feeling  nobly. 

Through  the  child's  tendency  and  power  to  live  in  the 
story,  a  story  becomes  to  him  an  experience.  Every  ex- 
perience brings  a  contribution  that  influences  and  affects 
the  developing  life  and  character.  If  it  is  an  experience  that 
is  helpful  to  him,  it  calls  forth  and  leaves  a  feeling  that 
is  refining,  ennobling,  and  enriching.  It  quickens  the 
child's  mind  to  a  perception  of  truth.  It  opens  his  "soul- 
windows"  and  gives  to  him  a  vision  of  his  own  self  and  of 
the  self  that  with  God's  help  it  is  possible  for  him  to  be- 
come. There  is  nothing  that  lifts  the  life  of  the  child  so 
effectively  as  the  story  unless  it  is  the  act  to  which  the 
story  inspires  him. 

2.  The  story  arouses  impulses  and  creates  motives. 
In  a  story  the  action  is  rapid.  Incident  follows  incident 
in  quick  succession.  Acts  are  recognized  in  their  proper 
sequence  and  relation  to  each  other.  The  motive  behind 
an  act  becomes  apparent.  An  act  is  perceived  as  a  cause 
of  an  effect,  and  the  child  forms  judgments,  gains  ideas. 
Moreover,  he  receives  impulses  and  suggestions  for  action. 
For  an  illustration,  consider  the  story  of  the  good  Samari- 
tan, in  which  the  child  perceives  the  effect  of  selfishness 
and  unkindness.  His  reaction  is  a  strong  feeling  of  ab- 
horrence for  such  attributes  of  character.  He  admires  the 
Samaritan,  and  his  impulse  is  to  imitate  his  conduct;  and 
if  the  opportunity  is  made  for  him,  he,  with  companions 
in   his    class,    plans    and    executes    some    neighborly    act.* 


*  See  Chapter  V,  page  40. 


EVERY  CHILD  LOVES  A  STORY        65 

Later,  when  the  child  sees  an  animal  in  distress,  a  com- 
panion in  trouble,  someone  whom  he  loves,  worried  or 
anxious,  it  is  improbable  that  he  recalls  the  story,  but  he 
responds  with  sympathy  and  some  effort  to  help.  He  gives 
the  thirsty  dog  a  drink  or  rescues  the  kitten  from  its  per- 
ilous position.  He  dries  his  little  friend's  tears,  and  sug- 
gests doing  something  pleasurable,  or  seeks  to  bring  back 
the  smile  to  his  mother's  face  or  to  lighten  her  burdens. 
He  shows  by  his  conduct  that  his  spirit  is  that  of  merciful 
kindness  which  is  Christlike  in  its  essence  and  expression. 

The  child  to  whom  this  story  would  be  told,  if  the  Pri- 
mary Graded  Lessons  are  used  in  the  department,  would 
be  in  the  third-year  class,  and  of  an  age  when  he  needs 
to  act  not  only  from  impulse  but  also  from  the  right  motive. 
Later  the  child's  impulse  may  weaken  under  different  in- 
fluences; but  having  known  once  what  he  should  do  and 
why  he  should  do  it,  he  cannot  wholly  rid  himself  of  the 
idea.  To  give  it  permanency  the  second  great  command- 
ment, "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,"  is  con- 
nected with  the  story,  and  the  child  is  asked  to  memorize 
this  Bible  verse.  In  this  way  the  child  is  given  a  sugges- 
tion for  conduct  that  attracts  and  appeals  to  him  and  a 
motive  from  which  to  act.  No  other  means  is  more  effective 
than  the  Bible  story  that  has  a  suitable  Bible  verse  asso- 
ciated with  it  for  bringing  truth  to  a  child  and  helping 
him  to  act  from  a  right  motive. 

It  is  said:  "In  morals  and  religion,  as  well  as  in  most 
other  significant  elements  of  character,  the  culture  does 
not  come  through  responses  which  are  forced  from  the  out- 
side. To  have  moral  and  spiritual  significance,  all  atti- 
tudes, choices,  and  decisions  must  be  the  child's  own. 
There  is  no  place  in  education  where  the  principle  of  self- 
activity  is  as  important  as  in  religious  training."^ 

Thus  by  teaching  truth  and  presenting  ideals  of  life  and 
conduct  and  by  influencing  the  child  to  determine  his  own 


^  The  Use  of  Motives  in  Teaching  Morals  and  Religion^  Galloway, 
page  19. 


66  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

conduct,  the  story  is  an  aid  in  the  development  of  char- 
acter. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  What  is  the  purpose  of  the  Bible  story  as  it  is  used  in 
the   Primary    Department? 

2.  To  fulfill  its  purpose,  what  must  the  story  be  and  do? 
See  Chapters  VIII  and  IX. 

3.  If  knowledge  in  the  truest  sense  is  the  result  of  ex- 
perience, how  and  why  may  a  story  contribute  to  the  child's 
knowledge? 

4.  What  do  you  think  was  the  purpose  of  the  story  being 
told  in  the  second-year  class  when  the  general  superin- 
tendent visited  the  department? 

5.  Explain  the  superintendent's  action  on  the  basis  of 
the  relation  of  attention  to  learning. 

6.  What  was  the  purpose  of  the  primary  secretary  in 
keeping  a  position  near  the  door  of  entrance? 


CHAPTER  X 

WORD-PICTURING 

A  STORY  is  a  picture.  It  is  not  a  vital  part  of  a  life  but  a 
portrayal   of  that  life.     Story-telling  is  word-picturing. 

1.  The  appeal  and  po-wer  of  the  story.  In  the  same 
way  that  a  picture  created  by  the  artist  with  colors  and 
brush  is  to  convey  a  message,  the  purpose  of  the  story  is 
to  give  a  message.  Its  appeal  is  to  the  imagination,  feel- 
ings, and  impulses;  consequently,  the  story  has  the  power 
to  quicken  the  mind  to  new  perceptions,  to  arouse  helpful 
emotions,  and  to  lift  the  life  of  the  child  by  giving  him 
ideals  and  motives  for  conduct  and  helping  him  to  act 
from  these.  The  Bible  story  is  an  opportunity  for  promot- 
ing the  child's  religious  development  by  putting  him  into 
sympathetic  relation  with  religious  truths  and  helping  him 
to  realize  them  in  his  present  life. 

2.  Requirements  in  the  story-teller.  Word-picturing 
is  an  art  and  as  such  has  a  technique  of  its  own.  The 
medium  of  expression  is  language;  therefore  the  language 
used  must  be  impressive,  vivid,  and  readily  understood. 
"Children  require  simple,  direct  words,  clearly  defined  in 
thought  and  grounded  upon  common  experience  and  con- 
viction. Facts  and  realities  should  stand  behind  the  words 
of  a  teacher."  ^  When  new  and  unfamiliar  w^ords  are  used, 
the  child  should  be  able  to  understand  them  because  of 
their  association  with  words  w^ith  which  he  is  familiar, 
their  position  in  the  sentence,  or  from  the  idea  gained  or 
feeling  aroused  by  the  story.  A  picturesque,  vivid,  and 
colorful  vocabulary  is  to  be  obtained  by  reading  the  poets; 
one  that  is  simple  and  direct  yet  forceful,  by  reading  the 

^Special  Method  in  Primary  Reading,   McMurray. 
67 


68  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

Bible  and  committing  portions  of  it  to  memory;  and  a 
child's  vocabulary  may  be  learned  by  reading  children's 
books.  The  story-teller  needs  to  use  language  understand- 
ingly  and  skillfully,  that  the  oral  story  may  become  "a 
perfectly  transparent  medium  of  thought.  A  child  can  see 
the  meaning  of  a  story  through  oral  speech  as  one  sees  a 
landscape  through  a  clear  window-pane."^ 

A  good  speaking  voice  is  a  prerequisite  of  the  story-teller. 
It  should  be  flexible  and  capable  of  expressing  feeling  and 
emotion,  since  one  of  the  purposes  of  the  story  is  to  arouse 
feeling.  Anger,  fear,  distress,  disapproval,  approval,  joy, 
and  happiness  may  be  expressed  by  the  voice  and  also 
by  the  face  and  general  attitude.  A  flash  of  the  eyes  will 
suggest  anger,  fear  may  be  indicated  by  a  withdrawing  or 
shrinking  of  the  body,  distress  by  a  drop  of  the  mouth  and 
shoulders,  disapproval  by  a  frown,  approval  by  a  smile,  and 
joy  and  happiness  by  an  uplifted,  happy  face  and  smiling 
eyes  and  lips.  Voice,  expression,  bodily  attitude,  and 
manner  are  means  of  expressing  feeling  and  arousing  it 
in  others;  for  feeling  is  communicable.^ 

From  this  it  is  evident  that  the  story-teller's  understand- 
ing and  appreciation  of  the  story  is  a  vital  factor  in  the 
impression  that  is  made.  One  enters  into  a  story  largely 
through  the  power  of  the  imagination;  the  story-teller's 
imaginative  faculty  must  therefore  be  active.  It  may  be 
quickened  by  the  reading  of  poetry,  of  poetical  prose,  and 
of  children's  fairy  stories.  Since  a  story  portrays  some 
part  of  a  life,  there  must  be  sympathy  with  life.  It  is  the 
artist  who  finds  beauty,  mystery,  and  wonder  in  the  heart 
of  the  gentian,  columbine,  or  wood  violet  who  paints  it  so 
that  the  passer-by  finds  in  the  painted  flower  a  beauty  that 
occasions  thoughts  of  God.  It  is  the  artist  who  has  pene- 
trated to  the  inner  meaning  of  life  lived  by  certain  people — 
the  sailors  on  the  sea,  the  newsboys  of  a  city,  the  Arabs 
on  the  plains  and  deserts  of  Arabia,  the  toilers  in  our  mod- 


^  Special  Method  in  Primary  Reading,  McMurray. 
8  See  Chapters  IV  and  V. 


WORD-PICTURING  69 

ern  factories — who  best  portrays  the  life  of  that  people. 
Similarly,  the  story-teller  must  experience  life — the  deeper 
and  wider  the  experiences  the  better — and  must  be  sympa- 
thetic toward  all  life.  A  story-teller  needs  first  a  friendly 
sympathetic  attitude  of  mind  toward  all  things  human, 
and  then  contact  with  life,  as  Professor  McMurray  says, 
"in  all  sorts  of  acts,  habits,  feelings,  motives,  and  condi- 
tions." Contact  with  nature  will  also  add  richness  to  one's 
thought  powers  and  emotional  life.  There  should  be  op- 
portunities for  walks  in  the  woods  and  for  beholding  sun- 
sets in  the  mountains  and  beside  the  sea.  The  experienc- 
ing of  sorrows  and  joys  and  all  typical  life  scenes,  travel 
and  art,  and  the  reading  of  good  books  help  one  to  find 
meanings  in  life  and  to  make  these  meanings  plain  to  oth- 
ers. A  close  acquaintance  with  the  child  and  his  world  is 
necessary  too,  if  the  child  heart  is  to  be  reached  by  the 
story-teller,  and  the  child's  life  benefited  by  the  story. 

3.  Acquiring  poxirer  to  tell  stories.  Power  to  tell  a 
story  is  said  to  be  latent  in  everyone,  and  all  that  it  re- 
quires is  development  by  study  and  practice.  The  enrich- 
ment of  life  by  experience  and  study,  the  cultivation  of  the 
imagination,  and  the  acquisition  of  a  suitable  vocabulary 
are  means  to  this  end.  A  study  of  stories  children  delight 
in  at  different  ages  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  reasons 
for  their  interest  and  joy,  and  experience  in  telling  and 
retelling  these  stories  to  children  will  also  help  to  de- 
velop the  story-telling  power.  Great  gain  will  come  from 
the  preparation  and  mastery  of  a  story  and  experience  in 
telling  it. 

Sometimes  it  is  thought  that  the  person  who  is  the 
readiest  talker  makes  t"he  best  story-teller.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  is  far  more  possible  that  it  is  the  quiet,  thoughtful, 
logical  thinker,  for  such  a  person  is  apt  to  see  and  think 
clearly  and  to  combine  ideas  into  clear  and  connected  series 
of  thought* 


Special  Method  in  Primary  Reading,  McMurray. 


70  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

The  LESso^'^  Continued 

1.  Read  a  fairy  story.  Note  the  virtue  that  is  rewarded 
and  what  form  the  reward  takes.  Note  the  wrong- 
doing and  its  punishment.  If  possible,  tell  the  story  to  a 
child  and  encourage  an  expression  of  opinion  and  conversa- 
tion about  the  story.  Watch  for  any  other  response  to 
the   story. 

2.  Read  a  myth.  What  human  motive  does  it  explain, 
and  what  is  the  value  of  the  story  for  a  child? 

3.  Read  a  legend.  Around  what  event  or  personality 
does  it  center?  What  are  the  fictitious  elements?  What 
is  the  purpose  of  the  story? 

4.  Read  a  fable.  What  human  characteristic  is  described? 
What  truth  is  taught?     What  impulse  is  aroused? 

5.  Read  a  realistic  story  enjoyed  by  a  child.  A  realistic 
story  is  one  taken  from  history  or  biography,  a  personal 
reminiscence,  a  true  story  about  an  animal,  or  a  story  that 
carries  the  air  of  reality  and  might  be  true. 

(Note. — A  teacher  studying  this  book  in  connection  with 
a  teacher-training  correspondence  course  may  give  the  titles 
of  the  different  stories  read  and  designate  them  as  fairy 
story,  myth,  legend,  fable,  or  realistic.) 

Books  obtainable  in  most  public  libraries,  in  which  the 
different  types  of  stories  may  be  found,  are: 

Nature  Myths  and  Stories,  by  Flora  J.  Cooke. 

The  Story  Hour,  by  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin. 

In  Mythland,  by  M.  Helen  Beckwith. 

Stories  of  the  Red  Children,  by  Dorothy  Brooks. 

Fables  and  Folk  Stories,  edited  by  H.  E.  Scudder. 

Parables  from  Nature,  by  Mrs.  Gatty,  in  several  editions. 

The  Golden  Windoivs  and  The  Silver  Pitcher,  by  Laura  E. 
Richards. 

Why  the  Chimes  Rang,  by  Raymond  McDonald  Alden. 

For  the  Children's  Hour;  For  the  Story  Teller;  Stories 
for  Sunday  Telling;  Tell  Me  Another  Story;  and  Stories 
for  Any  Day,  by  Carolyn  Sherwin  Bailey. 


WORD-PICTURING  71 

Mother  Stories  and  More  Mother  Stories,  by  Maud  E. 
Lindsay. 

How  to  Tell  Stories  to  Children  and  Stories  to  Tell  to 
Children,  by  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 

Little  Animal  Stories  and  The  Animal  School,  by  Frances 
Weld  Danielson. 

In  Story  Land,  by  Elizabeth  Harrison. 

Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know;  Heroines  Every  Child 
Should  Know;  and  Fairy  Tales  Every  Child  Should  Know, 
by  Hamilton  Wright  Mabie. 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE  TECHNIQUE  OF  STORY-TELLING 

A  BUSINESS  man  who,  in  a  friend's  office,  saw  for  the  first 
time  one  of  the  pictures  of  Christ  by  Hofmann,  is  said  to 
have  asked  permission  to  look  at  the  picture  quietly  by 
himself.  He  carried  it  into  an  inner  room  and  spent  an 
hour  or  more  before  it.  When  he  left  it,  he  had  given 
himself  to  the  Christ  the  picture  made  real  to  him.  We 
are  told  that  before  the  artist  Hofmann  began  even  to 
sketch  one  of  his  famous  pictures  he  spent  hours  thinking 
of  Christ,  studying  his  life,  becoming  repossessed  by  him. 
When  ready  to  paint  he  had  a  message  to  give  to  the 
world,  and  with  his  brush  and  colors  made  his  message 
live  on  canvas. 

The  primary  teacher's  purpose  is  not  unlike  that  of  the 
artist  Hofmann.  It  is  to  acquaint  the  child  with  Christ, 
that  finally  he  may  enthrone  him  in  his  child  heart.  She 
may  use  pictures  to  aid  her,  but  her  chief  means  for  por- 
traying Christ  and  inspiring  the  child  to  Christlike  acts 
is  word-picturing.  For  this  reason  the  primary  teacher 
must  know  how  to  tell  a  story,  must  master  the  technique 
of  story-telling,  that  she  may  give  her  message  to  the  chil- 
dren who  gather  round  her  in  the  Sunday-school  class. 

1.  Making  the  story  your  own.  The  story  must  1)0 
Studied  for  its  message.  The  first  step  in  preparing  a  story 
for  telling  is  a  study  of  the  story  for  its  message,  the  truth 
to  be  brought  to  the  child,  and  for  the  response  that  is 
desired. 

There  must  he  a  clear  appreciation  of  the  feelings.  The 
value  of  the  story  is  in  its  appeal  to  the  emotions  and  im- 
pulses.    The  second  step  is  therefore  a  clear  appreciation 

72 


THE  TECHNIQUE  OF  STORY-TELLING  73 

of  the  feelings  to  be  stirred  and  a  study  of  the  story  for 
the  elements  best  adapted  to  make  the  different  appeals 
and  arouse  the  feelings  that  will  bring  a  response.  The 
result  should  be  a  good  idea  of  the  story  as  a  whole. 

The  climax  must  he  determined  early.  The  third  step 
is  a  study  of  the  events  in  their  proper  order  for  the  pur- 
pose of  discovering  which  forms  the  climax  of  the  story 
and  how  the  different  steps  or  events  lead  up  to  or  prepare 
for  it.  This  study  would  include  the  making  of  a  written 
outline  of  the  action. 

The  story  must  T)e  complete  in  its  detail.  To  elaborate 
the  outline — that  is,  to  write  or  tell  the  story  in  detail — 
is  the  fourth  step.  In  this  way  the  story  is  made  one's  own, 
for  one's  own  words  and  expressions  are  used. 

2.  Preparing  to  tell  the  story.  The  Story's  message 
must  he  clear  and  unencumhered.  In  the  elaboration  of  a 
story  one  of  two  things  is  apt  to  happen:  the  story  becomes 
either  too  full  or  too  barren  and  brief.  Its  defects  are  to 
be  discovered  only  by  the  severest  criticism.  Each  word, 
description,  or  illustration  that  does  not  create  greater 
interest,  does  not  help  to  develop  the  story  or  make  its 
meaning  clear,  must  be  cast  out.  On  the  contrary,  if  the 
story  is  not  full  enough,  if  the  action  is  too  rapid,  or  if 
the  steps  are  not  easy  enough  for  the  child  to  follow,  its 
detail  must  be  elaborated.  The  story  or  parts  of  it  may 
need  rewriting. 

TTie  story  should  lend  itself  to  vivid  and  impressive  pre- 
sentation. If  the  story  under  preparation  is  not  original 
or  an  adaptation,  but  is,  for  example,  a  story  in  a  textbook, 
the  next  step  is  the  improving  of  one's  own  story  by  sub- 
stituting the  more  forceful  or  expressive  words  found  in 
the  copy,  adding  an  illustration  or  adapting  a  figure  of 
speech.  If  the  story  is  original  it  should  be  revised  for  the 
purpose  of  strengthening  or  improving  it  in  the  same  way 
that  a  final  polish  is  bestowed  upon  the  gem  that  has  been 
given  its  setting  but  has  not  yet  been  offered  to  the  public. 

In  the  case  of  a  Bible  story  there  must  be  no  violation 


74  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

of  facts.  Descriptive  and  explanatory  statements  must  be 
based  on  knowledge  of  manners  and  customs,  times  and 
seasons,  and  the  geography  of  the  Holy  Land.  Commen- 
taries, Bible  dictionaries,  historical  geographies,  should  be 
consulted  in  the  preparation  of  a  Bible  story.  When  these 
are  not  available,  teachers'  textbooks  and  reliable  lesson 
helps  should  be  followed  closely  for  their  teaching  facts. 

The  story  may  he  mastered  dy  practice  in  telling  it.  The 
final  step  of  preparation  is  the  telling  and  retelling  of  the 
story  to  oneself.  At  first  it  may  be  told  from  the  outline, 
but  finally  the  story-teller  should  practice  telling  it  as  she 
will  tell  it  to  her  pupils,  not  word  for  word  as  it  is  writ- 
ten, but  the  events  in  their  order  and  as  it  will  be  possible 
to  tell  it  because  of  the  study  put  upon  it  in  its  prepara- 
tion. 

The  well-rounded  or  complete  story  has  a  'beyinning,,  a 
plot,  a  climax,  and  an  end.  In  every  story  there  is  always 
some  kind  of  a  beginning.  It  may  be  an  explanatory  sen- 
tence, a  short  description,  or  a  question.  Its  purpose  is 
to  arouse  interest,  to  challenge  the  attention,  to  awaken 
thought,  or  to  arouse  feeling.  The  feeling  may  be  the  same 
kind  that  it  is  the  purpose  of  the  story  as  a  whole  to  stir. 
In  a  story  for  a  child  the  beginning  should  be  brief. 

There  is  also  the  movement  or  action  or  plot  of  the 
story,  which  prepares  for  or  leads  to  the  climax.  We  are 
told  that  "the  great  essential  [for  this  movement]  is  that 
it  shall  be  orderly,  presenting  the  necessary  facts  step  by 
step,  and  preparing  for  the  climax  without  revealing  it  in 
advance.' 

The  climax  is  the  high  light  in  the  word-picture,  the 
culmination  or  point  of  the  story — that  which  conveys  its 
message  or  truth.  The  end  is  that  which  follows  the  cli- 
max, completes  the  story,  and  leaves  the  mind  satisfied 
and  at  rest.  We  are  taught  that  the  story  should  begin 
on  the  plane  of  the  child's  interest  and  present  knowledge. 


^Stories   and  Story   Telling,   St.    John. 


THE  TECHNIQUE  OF  STORY-TELLING  75 

rise  to  the  climax  by  a  series  of  easy  steps  which  the  child 
will  have  no  difficulty  in  following,  then  drop  quickly  back 
to  the  plane  on  which  it  began. 


Story's  movement  or  plot. 


■"""The  cUmax. 
/The  end. 


The  beginning I         1/    Plane  of  the 

child's  interest  and  present  knowledge. 

3.  Telling  the  story.  A  story  should  J)e  told  and  not 
read.  Only  so  can  it  make  its  strongest  appeal.  In  telling 
the  story  orally  the  teacher  is  not  hampered  by  a  book  and 
the  necessity  of  following  printed  words  and  consequently 
is  able  to  give  a  more  vivid  and  realistic  presentation.  She 
is  free  to  gesture,  to  impersonate  a  character  in  dialogue 
or  dramatically,  to  illustrate  with  pictures  or  with  black- 
board or  pad  sketching.  Because  she  does  these  things 
unconsciously,  in  response  to  feeling  and  sympathetic  ap- 
preciation of  the  incidents  or  characters  she  is  portraying, 
her  presentation  is  clear,  vivid,  and  impressive.  Her  feel- 
ing is  reflected  in  her  face;  and  because  she  is  looking  at 
her  listeners,  they  are  able  to  watch  her  varying  expres- 
sions and  to  share  her  feelings.  The  effectiveness  of  a 
well-told  story  is  unmistakable;  and  power  to  tell  a  story, 
and  to  tell  it  well,  may  be  acquired.  Time  and  effort  are 
necessary,  but,  as  one  who  has  mastered  the  art  says:  "If 
motives  are  to  be  stirred,  if  conduct  is  to  be  guided,  if 
character  is  to  be  formed,  and,  especially,  if  one  is  to  have 
this  opportunity  many  times,  he  can  afford  to  honor  his 
art  and  take  such  time  and  pains  as  are  necessary  to  per- 
fect his  technique.  Skill  is  nothing  more  than  the  posses- 
sion of  correct  habits  of  procedure.  If  one  way  of  doing 
a  thing  is  better  in  the  end,  it  pays  to  do  it  the  difficult 
way  at  first  because  by  and  by  that  way  will  become  the 
easy  and  unconscious  mode  of  procedure  as  well  as  the  one 


76  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

that  leads  to  the  highest  achievement.    Practice,  guided  hy 
a  well-conceived  plan,  is  the  chief  secret  of  success."^ 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  Choose  a  Bible  story  and  with  the  aid  only  of  commen- 
taries, Bible  dictionaries,  and  historical  geographies,  or 
such  helps  on  the  fact  side  as  are  available,  prepare  the 
story  for  telling  to  a  six-,  to  a  seven-,  or  to  an  eight-year- 
old  child.  State  the  age  of  the  child  to  whom  you  would 
tell  the  story. 

2.  Make  an  outline  of  the  story  in  which  are  given  the 
truth  you  wish  to  bring  to  the  child  and  the  response  that 
you  desire.  Tell  what  feelings  would  be  aroused  by  the 
story.  Indicate  the  steps  leading  to  the  climax,  and  show 
in  what  way  you  would  end  the  story,  bringing  it  back  to 
the  plane  of  the  child's  knowledge  and  experience. 


^Stories  and  Story  Telling^  St.  John. 


CHAPTER  XII 
USES  OF  PICTURES  IN  PRIMARY  TEACHING 

One  of  the  contentions  of  a  well-known  educator  is  that 
"thinking  begins  in  what  may  fairly  well  be  called  a 
forked-road  situation — a  situation  which  is  ambiguous, 
which  proposes  alternatives.  .  .  .  Thinking  is  not  a  case 
of  spontaneous  combustion.  .  .  .  There  is  something  spe- 
cific which  occasions  and  evokes  it."  ^  Applied  to  primary 
Sunday-school  teaching  this  means  that  because  children 
are  grouped  around  a  teacher,  apparently  listening  to  what 
she  is  saying,  they  do  not  really  think  unless  there  is  in 
the  lesson  an  element  of  the  forked-road  situation.  Some- 
times this  appears  at  the  beginning  in  the  form  of  a  ques- 
tion or  of  a  problem  adapted  to  direct  the  movement  of 
the  children's  ideas  along  one  channel.  In  teaching  by  the 
story  method  "the  something  specific"  to  evoke  active  pur- 
poseful thinking  may  be  presented  by  the  development  of 
events  in  the  story.  Quite  frequently  there  is  a  question 
at  the  end  of  the  story,  a  decision  that  must  be  made,  or 
there  is  something  to  be  done  which  stimulates  to  still  more 
active  thinking.  Sometimes  a  picture  is  helpful  in  this 
connection. 

1.  WTiy  we  use  pictures.  One  of  the  uses  of  pictures 
in  primary  teaching  is  to  evoke  thought.  The  superintend- 
ent who  taught  New  Teacher's  class  ^  used  the  picture  "In 
the  Streets  of  Capernaum"  for  this  purpose.  She  might 
have  included  in  her  story  everything  that  she  wished  the 
children  to  know,  but  instead  she  showed  the  picture  and 
asked,  "What  story  do  you  see  in  this  picture?"  The  chil- 
dren were  obliged  to  think  in  order  to  answer  the  question, 


^  How  We  Think.  John  Dewey. 
2  See  Chapter  II. 


77 


78  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

and  by  observing  and  thinking  tbey  arrived  at  certain  con- 
clusions regarding.  Jesus  and  gained  information  independ- 
ently of  the  teacher.  It  is  obvious  that  a  similar  use  may 
be  made  of  a  picture  after  a  story  has  been  told. 

A  picture  may  he  used  to  give  information  or  furnish  a 
necessary  experience.  Bible  stories  are  so  remote  in  time 
and  place,  and  some  customs,  manners,  objects,  and  stj'les  of 
dress  are  so  unlike  those  with  which  the  primary  child  is 
familiar,  that  he  cannot  understand  what  we  tell  him 
without  the  aid  of  an  object  or  descriptive  picture.  What 
does  he  know  of  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  the  Bedouin  tent, 
the  room  on  the  housetop,  the  custom  of  reclining  at  table, 
or  the  shepherd's  dress?  By  means  of  objects  and  suita- 
ble pictures  he  may  gain  a  fairly  accurate  knowledge  of  all 
these  things.  Pictures  of  places  and  of  people  give  a  sense 
of  reality  to  Bible  stories,  but  have  a  limited  use  with  chil- 
dren, because  their  interest  is  in  action  or  pictures  that 
tell  a  story. 

If  there  is  something  about  which  the  child  must  know 
in  order  to  follow  and  understand  the  story,  the  picture 
should  be  shown  before  the  story  is  told.  To  introduce  a 
picture  during  the  telling  is  apt  to  divert  attention  from 
the  main  issue  and  weaken  its  impression.  If  it  is  not 
necessary  for  the  child  to  see  the  fact  picture  (as  the 
descriptive  picture  might  be  called)  until  after  the  story, 
it  should  be  kept  until  that  time.  It  is  better  for  the 
child  to  construct  his  own  mental  pictures  with  the  aid 
of  his  imagination  while  the  story  is  being  told,  and  then, 
after  it  has  been  told,  to  have  wrong  impressions  corrected 
and  right  ideas  made  more  definite  by  means  of  a  picture 
shown  by  the  teacher.  This  same  principle  is  to  be  ob- 
served in  the  use  of  a  story  picture.  It  should.be  reserved 
until  the  story  has  been  told. 

Pictures  may  de  used  to  appeal  to  the  imagination  and 
feelings.  Pictures  that  portray  life  and  action  are  like 
stories  because  their  truth  is  conveyed  largely  through  the 
power  of  suggestion.     In  the  story  it  is  rarely  that  the 


USES  OF  PICTURES  79 

truth  is  stated  in  so  many  words.  It  becomes  apparent 
through  the  story's  movement  and  the  word-picturing  of 
cause  and  effect.  A  picture  differs  from  a  story  in  that  it 
portrays  only  one  moment  of  time.  It  does  not  give  that 
which  precedes  or  follows  that  particular  moment  as  does 
the  story;  this  is  left  to  one's  imagination  to  create,  which 
is  one  reason  why  a  story-picture  evokes  thought,  and  why 
the  child's  enjoyment  of  it  is  so  great. 

A  story-picture  appeals  also  to  the  feelings.  The  reason 
for  this  is  because  it  represents  thoughts,  feelings,  and  ac- 
tions. Take,  for  example,  the  picture  of  "Christ  and  the 
Children,"  by  Plockhorst,  which  suggests  Christ's  attitude 
toward  children  through  the  action  portrayed.  After  look- 
ing at  it  a  little  girl  of  beginners'  age  said,  "He  took  little 
children  in  his  arms  and  loved  them,"  and  the  quality  of 
tone  in  her  voice  indicated  that  she  was  responding  with 
love  to  the  love  she  felt  in  the  picture. 

Two  principles  are  involved  in  a  child's  response  to  a 
picture.  It  is  possible  for  a  picture  to  hang  on  the  walls 
of  a  Sunday-school  room  without  the  child's  becoming  con- 
scious of  it.  It  needs  to  be  examined  and  talked  about  in 
his  presence  if  he  is  to  give  attention  to  it.  The  little  be- 
ginner had  been  told  the  story  of  Jesus  and  had  examined 
the  picture.  It  is  probable  that  this  was  the  reason  why 
the  next  time  she  saw  it  she  explained  it  in  her  own  beau- 
tiful, childlike  way.  Moreover,  pictures  used  in  connection 
with  a  lesson  and  for  the  purpose  of  arousing  the  child's 
self-activity  should  be  handled  by  the  child.  It  is  said: 
"Effective  and  integral  thinking  is  possible  only  when  the 
experimental  method  in  some  form  is  used.  ...  In  elemen- 
tary education  it  is  still  assumed,  for  the  most  part,  that 
the  pupil's  natural  range  of  observations,  supplemented  by 
what  he  accepts  on  hearsay,  is  adequate  for  intellectual 
growth  .  .  .  but  the  entire  scientific  history  of  humanity 
demonstrates  that  the  conditions  for  complete  mental  ac- 
tivity will  not  be  obtained  until  adequate  provision  is  made 
for  the  carrying  on  of  activities  that  actually  modify  phy- 


80  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

sical  conditions,  and  that  books,  pictures,  and  even  objects 
that  are  passively  observed  but  not  manipulated  do  not 
furnish  the  provision  required."^  It  is  in  accordance  with 
this  principle  that  pictures  in  a  picture  roll  are  not  as 
desirable  as  smaller  pictures  for  each  child  in  the  class  to 
handle  and  study.  Small  classes  in  the  Primary  Depart- 
ment with  eight  children  to  a  class  make  the  use  of  a 
picture  for  handling  possible  and  desirable.  There  should 
be  a  picture  for  each  class,  not  one  for  a  group  of  classes.* 
The  second  principle  referred  to  has  its  basis  in  the 
nature  of  the  imaginative  faculty,  which  is  most  active 
when  the  real  is  not  present  to  the  eyes  of  sight  but  is  sug- 
gested. Take,  for  example,  the  story  "God's  Promise  to 
Mary."  Suppose  you  were  telling  a  part  of  it  in  some  such 
way  as  this:  "One  day  an  angel  came  to  Mary.  We  do  not 
know  where  she  was.  She  may  have  been  on  the  housetop 
at  evening  watching  the  stars  and  listening  to  the  soft 
night  winds.  She  may  have  been  in  her  garden  taking  care 
of  her  flowers.  She  may  have  been  in  her  own  room  talk- 
ing to  God  in  prayer.  She  may  have  been  in  her  own  bed 
asleep  and  dreaming."  As  you  made  these  different  sug- 
gestions, what  would  happen?  Each  child  would  begin  to 
create  pictures  with  materials  furnished  from  his  own  ex- 
perience. He  would  see  a  bit  of  the  evening  sky  dotted 
with  stars,  because  he  had  seen  it,  possibly,  from  the  win- 
dow of  his  room.  He  would  see  a  garden  resembling  one 
in  which  he  had  played.  It  is  probable  that  he  would  pic- 
ture Mary  kneeling  beside  a  bed  like  his  or  sleeping  in  a 
style  of  bed  he  knew  best.  No  two  children  would  see  the 
same  pictures,  but  each  would  be  busy  imagining,  creating, 
and  therefore  visualizing  the  story.  If  as  you  told  the 
story  you  had  showed  a  picture  to  illustrate  each  sugges- 
tion, the  children's  minds  would  not  have  been  active  in 
any  of  these  ways;  each  child,  if  he  thought  at  all,  would 


'How  We  Think,  John  Dewey. 

*See  "Primary  Picture  Sets,  No.  1,  No.  2,  No.  3,"  and  the  "Pri- 
mary Missionary  Picture  Set." 


USES  OF  PICTURES  81 

have  thought  in  terms  of  the  picture  exhibited.  The 
"forked-road"  element  would  have  been  entirely  lacking. 
Our  second  principle,  then,  is  this:  Pictures  should  be 
used  to  stimulate  the  activity  of  the  imagination.  This 
means  that  if  you  are  to  show  one  in  connection  with  a 
story,  tell  the  story  first.  Let  the  child  create  and  color 
his  own  pictures.  Then,  after  the  story  has  been  told  and 
its  impression  made,  produce  the  picture  best  adapted  to 
interpret  the  story.  It  will  bring  a  fresh  appeal  and  so 
deepen  that  made  by  the  story. 

The  picture  may  be  such  that  the  showing  of  it  at  the 
close  of  the  story  will  occasion  thinking.  More  frequently 
it  is  advisable  to  ask:  "What  story  does  the  picture  tell?" 
or  "What  does  this  picture  say  to  you?"  If  it  contains 
interesting  details  explanatory  of  manners  and  customs, 
these  should  be  discovered  and  discussed  by  the  children 
in  response  to  questions  on  the  part  of  the  teacher.  The 
aim  in  the  use  of  pictures,  as  in  all  teaching,  should  be  to 
cause  the  child  to  take  the  initiative. 

Pictures  may  'be  used  to  lead  to  the  forming  of  judgments 
and  to  inspire  to  action.  An  act  is  either  right  or  wrong; 
consequently,  from  a  picture  portraying  action  that  a  child 
understands  he  cannot  help  but  form  a  judgment  and  gain 
an  idea  of  right  or  wrong.  Action  viewed  and  understood 
in  another  tends  to  inspire  to  similar  action.^  Therefore, 
pictures  may  be  used  to  give  ideas  of  right  conduct  and 
to  lead  to  the  performance  by  the  child  of  many  right  acts 
that  are  desirable  and  helpful  to  character  formation.^ 

Pictures  are  aids  to  narration  and  description.  It  is  de- 
sirable for  the  child  to  gain  the  power  to  retell  stories  and 
to  give  or  write  original  statements  about  a  story.  It  is 
easier  for  him  to  do  this  from  a  picture.  It  helps  him  to 
recall  details  and  leaves  him  freer  to  express  himself.  Not 
all  children  are  able  to  retell  a  story  orally;  they  find  it 
easier  to   express  themselves  in  writing.     Others  find  it 


See  Chapters  V  and  VI. 
See  Chapter  XV. 


82  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

easier  to  tell  a  story  than  to  write  one.  In  either  case  the 
picture  tends  to  make  the  story  vivid  and  the  task  of  com- 
position easier.  When  a  group  of  stories  are  to  be  reviewed, 
it  is  helpful  to  permit  each  child  in  the  class  to  choose 
a  picture  and  tell  the  story  of  which  it  reminds  him. 

The  use  of  pictures  deepens  appreciation  of  'beauty,  life, 
and  truth.  The  child  who  lives  in  the  midst  of  sordidness 
may  have  beauty  brought  to  him  by  means  of  pictures, 
more  especially  nature  pictures.  Similarly,  through  the 
use  of  pictures  the  child  whose  world  is  small  may  be  made 
acquainted  with  child  life  everywhere  and  have  his  love 
and  sympathies  quickened.  There  is  scarcely  an  intellec- 
tual and  spiritual  need  of  the  child  which  cannot  be  met 
in  part  by  pictures;  for  a  picture  is  like  a  story,  and  a 
story  is  a  means  for  influencing  life  and  character.^ 

2.  How  to  judge  a  picture.  Pictures  should  &e  suited 
to  the  purpose  of  the  department  and  to  the  child.  Our 
purpose  in  the  Primary  Department  is  to  nurture  the  de- 
veloping religious  life;  therefore,  we  do  not  use  all  kinds 
of  pictures.  We  eliminate  the  crude  and  grotesque  and 
choose  instead  those  which  are  beautiful  and  inspiring. 

Pictures  should  be  beautiful;  they  should  also  be  true. 
If  they  illustrate  a  Bible  story  they  should  be  true  to  Bible 
times,  lands,  and  customs.  If  they  depict  a  moment  in  a 
life  or  an  event,  they  should  be  true  to  the  life  and  time. 
Pictures  should  also  be  on  the  child's  plane  of  interest  and 
understanding.  "Whether  the  power  of  the  object  over  the 
heart  [is]  to  be  small  or  great  [depends]  altogether  upon 
what  it  [is]  understood  for,  upon  its  being  taken  posses- 
sion of  and  apprehended  in  its  full  nature."^  The  faculty 
with  which  we  apprehend  a  picture  Ruskin  calls  "the  pos- 
session-taking power  of  the  imagination";  but  as  great  as 
this  power  is,  it  cannot  give  the  idea  of  the  unknown  unless 
the  unknown  bears  some  relation  to  the  known.  For  this 
reason  pictures  used  for  religious  nurture  must  be  such 


f  See  Chapter  IX. 
^Modern  Painters,  Ruskin. 


USES  OF  PICTURES  83 

as  the  child  can  interpret,  and  to  which  he  may  respond 
in  a  way  that  will  be  helpful  to  him. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  Make  a  study  of  pictures  used  in  primary  Sunday- 
school  teaching.  If  possible,  see  those  offered  for  use  in 
teaching  the  graded  primary  lessons;  the  pictures  in  the 
folders  and  those  in  the  picture  sets. 

2.  Select  and  give  the  titles  of  two  or  more  pictures 
adapted  to  evoke  thought;  to  give  information;  to  furnish 
a  necessary  experience;  to  give  reality  to  Bible  lands  and 
stories;  to  tell  a  story;  to  appeal  to  the  feelings;  to  bring  a 
religious  truth  to  the  child;  to  lead  to  the  forming  of  a 
judgment  concerning  some  action;  to  inspire  to  action  de- 
sirable for  a  child.  Tell  how  this  action  would  contribute 
to  the  child's  religious  development. 

3.  If  you  were  telling  the  story  of  how  Jesus  fed  many 
hungry  people  at  Bethsaida,  and  had  a  picture  of  the  event, 
when  would  you  show  it, — before  telling  the  story  or  after- 
ward? Give  reasons  for  your  answer.  In  Bible  Stories  for 
the  Sunday  School  and  Home,  Year  2,  Lesson  24,  a  picture 
of  a  western  wheat  field  is  provided  for  this  story.  How 
would  you  use  it  and  when? 


CHAPTER  XIII 

HELPING   THE   CHILD   TO   MAKE   THE   LESSON   HIS 

OWN 

In  recent  years,  since  a  large  use  has  been  made  of  the 
oral  treatment  of  stories  in  elementary  education,  it  has 
been  found  that  the  story  is  an  effective  means  of  bringing 
about  a  healthy,  vigorous  action  of  the  child's  mind  and 
physical  energies.  The  child  takes  fast  hold  of  ideas 
brought  to  him  in  a  story  and,  when  he  is  at  liberty  to 
do  so,  reacts  to  them.  In  his  most  active  moments  he  plays 
the  story.'  In  his  quiet  hours  he  represents  its  persons  or 
scenes  pictorially  and  its  objects  either  pictorially  or  con- 
structively. 

The  six-year-old  child  finds  satisfaction  in  the  pictures 
he  draws  or  paints.  If  he  has  had  some  training  in  paper 
tearing  and  cutting,  he  may  try  to  picture  a  scene  or  object 
in  either  of  these  ways.  Between  seven  and  eight  years 
of  age  he  is  not  so  likely  to  picture  action,  but  prefers  to 
represent  objects  and  to  accomplish  results  that  seem  to 
him  worth  while.  Primary  children  of  all  three  years  de« 
light  in  working  with  soft  wood,  paper  boxes,  raffia,  con- 
struction paper,  cloth,  and  clay,  and  in  making  models  of 
real  things  with  which  to  illustrate  different  modes  of  life. 
Theirs  is  the  age  of  constructive  activity  and  experimen- 
tation in  an  effort  to  understand  how  things  are  made  and 
their  uses.  It  is  recognized  that  the  child's  attempt  to 
express  an  idea  gives  clearness  and  vividness  to  the  men- 
tal conception. 

1.  Values  of  handwork.  Handtvork  is  an  aid  to  the 
child  171  making  the  story  his  own.  When  in  the  Primary  De- 
partment we  permit  the  child,  after  a  story  has  been  told, 


See  Chapter  XX. 

84 


VALUES    OF    HANDWORK  85 

to  do  something  with  his  hands  to  express  an  idea  gained 
from  the  story  or  to  carry  out  some  impulse,  we  are  work- 
ing in  harmony  with  his  natural  tendencies  and  desires. 
If  it  is  something  that  he  finds  pleasure  in  doing,  as  it 
should  be,  we  are  establishing  happy  associations  with  the 
lesson  and  in  this  way  helping  the  story,  and  therefore  its 
teaching,  to  become  the  child's  permanent  possession.  It 
is  said:  "Happiness,  joy  in  the  performance  of  the  given 
task,  an  instinctive  interest  in  the  duty  at  hand — all  this 
implies  a  happy  adjustment  of  the  learner  to  the  lesson 
and  also  the  largest  measure  of  progress  in  learning."^ 
Moreover,  the  larger  the  number  of  helpful  associations  es- 
tablished in  connection  with  the  lesson,  the  more  fixed  will 
it  become  in  the  memory.  The  child  who  has  heard  a  story, 
handled  a  picture  illustrating  it,  and  expressed  his  own  idea 
of  the  story  in  a  way  to  give  him  satisfaction  and  pleasure 
will  have  a  much  more  vivid  memory  of  it  than  if  he  had 
only  heard  it.  "It  is  entirely  certain,"  says  Professor  Col- 
vin,  "that  a  very  large  part  of  our  effective  memory  is  based 
upon  associations,  and  education  must  find  its  problem  in 
forming  the  most  helpful  associations,  so  that  the  memories 
involved  may  be  utilized  in  the  most  serviceable  manner."^ 

Handwork  as  a  method  of  teaching  is  appropriate  for  use 
in  the  Primary  Department  on  Sunday.  The  purpose  of 
the  instruction  given  in  the  Primary  Department  is  the 
development  of  character.  The  instruction  is  given  largely 
by  the  story  method.  Certain  forms  of  handwork  connected 
with  a  story  help  the  child  to  make  the  story  his  own  and 
tend  to  deepen  its* impression.  Handwork  used  for  this 
purpose  and  also  as  a  form  of  lesson  expression  has  a  legit- 
imate place  in  the  Primary  Department  on  Sunday.  But  it 
is  to  be  distinguished  from  busy  work.     (See  Chapter  XIV.) 

Handwork  should  he  an  expression  of  the  child's  idea  as 
far  as  this  is  possible.  To  provide  for  the  child's  free  ex- 
pression of  the  idea  and  at  the  same  time  make  sure  that 


"  Hoiv  to  Become  an  Efficient  Sunday -School  Teacher,  McKeever. 
*  The  Learning  Process,  Colvin,  Chapter  IX  :  "Memory." 


86  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

what  is  done  fulfills  the  purpose  of  the  story  is  at  times 
exceedingly  difficult.  Left  to  himself,  the  child  would 
probably  stop  on  a  low  plane  of  accomplishment.  He  needs 
to  employ  his  developing  powers  and  abilities  and  will  do 
this  only  at  the  instigation  of  the  teacher.  It  lies  within 
the  teacher's  province  to  influence  his  decision  as  to  what 
he  shall  do  and  how  he  shall  do  it,  but  her  aim  should  be 
not  to  dictate.  By  the  wise  use  of  questions  and  sugges- 
tions it  Is  possible  for  the  teacher  to  guide  the  child's 
thinking  in  such  a  way  that  while  her  purpose  is  achieved, 
the  initiative  is  the  child's,  and  the  work  is  the  expression 
of  his  own  idea. 

2.  Examples  from  life.  Contrast  the  methods  of 
three  teachers.  Three  first-year  teachers  had  each  been 
telling  the  story  "God  the  Creator  of  All  Things,"*  the  pur- 
pose of  which  is  to  direct  the  child's  attention  to  things  that 
may  be  clearly  seen  in  the  world  of  nature,  to  help  him 
to  think  and  question  about  them,  and  to  respond  with  a 
feeling  of  reverent  love  for  God  and  the  impulse  to  be  lov- 
ing, kind,  and  good.'^  One  teacher  said  to  her  pupils,  "Now 
that  you  have  heard  the  story  wh^t  would  you  like  to  do?" 
They  answered,  "Draw  pictures  with  colored  crayons."  Pa- 
pers and  crayons  were  distributed,  and  the  children  bent 
to  their  occupation.  One  child,  the  leader  of  the  group, 
began  to  draw  trees  and  flowers,  and  the  children  nearest 
her  began  to  draw  trees  and  flowers.  One  child  drew  a  flow- 
er she  had  drawn  the  preceding  week  in  school.  Another 
tried  to  draw  an  animal.  The  children  were  interested, 
and  happy  associations  were  being  established  with*  the 
story,  helping  them  to  recall  it.  The  teacher  asked  no 
questions,  made  no  comments,  said  nothing  to  link  the 
activity  and  lesson  together;  she  considered  it  sufficient 
for  the  children  to  express  their  ideas  each  in  her  own 
way.    Each  child  took  her  drawing  home. 


^  Bible  Stories  for  the  Sunday  School  and  Home,  Year  1,  Lesson  1. 

s  Each  teacher  had  followed  a  different  plan  from  the  one  de- 
scribed in  Chapter  VII.  Handwork  was  not  made  a  part  of  the  story 
preparation,  but  was  used  after  the  lesson. 


VALUES    OF    HANDWORK  87 

The  second  teacher  was  concerned  with  the  result,  be- 
lieving that  it  should  be  of  value  and  tend  to  deepen  the 
lesson's  impression.  For  each  of  her  pupils  she  had  pre- 
pared a  handwork  page  with  these  words  written  plainly 
across  the  bottom:  "To  help  me  think  of  something  beau- 
tiful which  God  has  made."  She  distributed  these  pages, 
saying,  "To-day  for  our  handwork  we  are  going  to  paste 
a  picture  to  help  us  think  of  something  beautiful  which 
God  has  made."  Next  she  gave  each  child,  to  paste  upon 
his  page,  a  beautiful  colored  picture  of  a  flower.  The 
children  in  this  class  were  as  interested  in  pasting  as  the 
children  in  the  other  class  were  in  drawling.  They  were 
pleased  with  the  results,  which,  as  results  alone,  had  a 
greater  value  than  the  crude  drawings;  for  each  time  a 
child  looked  at  his  pasted  picture — and  he  would  look  at 
it  often,  because  he  had  pasted  it — and  read  or  recalled 
the  words  written  underneath,  he  would  be  reminded  that 
it  is  God  who  "hath  made  everything  beautiful  in  its  time." 

To  her  pupils  the  third  teacher  said,  "If  you  could  do 
something  with  your  hands  about  the  story  that  I  have 
just  told  3^ou,  what  would  you  like  to  do?"  The  children 
had  come  from  the  Beginners'  Department  and  spoke  from 
their  experience  there.  One  child  said  that  he  would  like 
to  draw  a  picture  of  a  flower.  Another  expressed  a  desire 
for  a  picture  of  a  bird  to  paste.  The  other  children  were 
divided  in  their  opinions.  Some  wanted  to  draw,  and  oth- 
ers to  paste  pictures.  Of  the  children  who  wished  to  draw 
flowers  the  teacher  asked,  "Why  do  you  want  to  draw  a 
flower?" 

"To  help  us  think  of  real  flowers,"  was  the  answer. 

"Why  do  you  want  to  think  of  real  flowers?  Can  anyone 
tell?"  were  the  next  questions. 

"Because  God  makes  the  flowers  grow,"  said  a  child  who 
had  not  spoken  before,  but  had  listened  most  attentively 
to  the  story.  At  this  time  the  teacher  distributed  hand- 
work pages  and  said:  "Those  of  you  who  would  like  to 
draw  may  draw  a  picture  to  help  you  think  of  something 


88  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

beautiful  which  God  has  made.  Those  of  you  who  would 
like  to  paste  a  picture  may  select  one  from  among  these;" 
and  she  laid  down  several  appropriate  subjects  upon  the 
table.  There  were  pictures  of  flowers,  birds,  and  fruits. 
With  one  exception  the  children  decided  to  paste  a  picture 
and  spent  a  few  thoughtful  moments  in  choosing  one.  As 
soon  as  each  child  had  selected  his  subject  he  experimented 
in  placing  it  on  his  handwork  page.  After  he  had  decided 
upon  its  position,  and  it  had  been  approved  by  the^  teacher, 
be  held  the  picture  while  she  applied  a  small  amount  of 
paste  near  its  top  and  bottom  edges;  then  the  child  laid 
it  properly  on  the  page  and  pressed  it  gently  with  the  tips 
of  his  fingers  until  it  adhered  to  the  paper.  By  the  time 
the  pasting  was  completed  the  child  vv^ho  had  chosen  to 
draw  a  picture  was  ready  to  exhibit  his  work,  and  teachers 
and  children  spent  a  few  moments  in  admiring  the  different 
pictures  and  in  talking  about  God's  good  gifts  and  what 
they  themselves  would  try  to  do  because  they  loved  and 
thanked  him.  The  pupils  in  this  class,  as  in  the  preceding, 
fastened  the  handwork  pages  into  book  covers,  so  that, 
finally,  each  child  might  have  an  attractive  book  of  Bible 
stories  and  handwork  for  use  at  home. 

The  Lessoint  Coxtixued 

1.  Compare  the  methods  of  the  three  teachers  and  give 
their  points  of  likeness  and  unlikeness. 

2.  Tell  what  you  think  of  each  method,  noting  its  strong 
points.    Note  weaknesses  or  failures. 

3.  Tell  what  you  think  is  the  real  purpose  of  handwork 
done  in  the  Primary  Department  on  Sunday  during  a  one- 
bour  session. 

4.  What  do  you  think  is  the  value  of  giving  permanency 
to  a  child's  work? 

5.  What  effect  has  a  careless  use  of  the  child's  work  upon 
his  idea  of  the  importance  of  the  Sunday-school  lesson? 

6.  What  should  be  some  of  the  requirements  of  work 
to  be  preserved? 


CHAPTER  XIV 

CONCERNING    THE     CHOICE     OF    MATERIALS     AND 
FORMS   OF  HANDWORK 

The  usual  Primary-Department  session  is  one  hour  long. 
Its  purpose  is  not  only  to  give  religious  instruction  but 
also  to  provide  experience  and  training  in  worship.  Half 
an  hour  is  required  for  the  opening  service,  the  offering 
and  birthday  services,  and  the  teaching  of  new  songs.  This 
leaves  half  an  hour  for  instruction.  In  this  time  there 
is  usually  a  short  review  of  the  lesson  taught  the  preceding 
Sunday.  The  review  is  followed  by  the  lesson  for  the  day. 
As  a  part  of  the  story  preparation  or  after  the  story  there 
is  handwork.  It  is  obvious  that  not  more  than  eight  to 
twelve  minutes  may  be  given  to  it,  and  that  this  is  too 
short  a  time  in  which  to  teach  the  use  of  materials  and 
develop  a  control  of  tools. 

1.  Choice  of  materials.  The  materials  used  for  hand- 
work should  be  those  which  the  child  knows  how  to  manip- 
ulate. The  work  done  must  be  something  that  the  child 
knows  how  to  do  and  can  do  quickly.  What  may  be  done 
in  a  two-hour  session  or  in  a  week-day  class  meeting  for 
religious  instruction  is  another  matter. 

Certain  materials  and  forms  of  handwork  are  better 
adapted  for  use  in  Sunday  school  on  Sunday  than  others. 
Water  colors  and  clay  are  admirable  for  expressive  pur- 
poses, but  disastrous  to  Sunday  suits  and  dresses,  clean 
hands  and  faces.  The  distribution  of  materials  requires 
so  much  time  that  little  is  left  for  working;  accordingly, 
painting  and  clay  modeling  have  been  found  impracticable 
for  Primary-Department  uses  on  Sunday. 

From  wood,  cardboard,  paper  boxes,  and  construction 
paper,  objects,  models,  and  gifts  may  be  made;   but  con- 


90  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

struction  work  of  this  kind  is  almost  impossible  because 
of  the  limitations  imposed  by  the  length  of  the  primary 
session  and  by  the  arrangement  of  the  usual  Primary  De- 
partment. Construction  work  requires  time,  the  use  of  a 
variety  of  materials  and  tools,  and  space  in  which  to  work. 
In  most  Primary  Departments  classes  are  arranged  in  close 
proximity  to  each  other,  and  the  only  work  that  may  be 
undertaken  is  that  which  the  pupils  can  do  while  seated 
quietly  in  their  seats. 

In  departments  where  the  pupils  of  each  year  or  grade 
go  to  separate  rooms  for  the  instruction,  the  handwork 
may  assume  a  wholly  different  character:  it  may  become 
more  truly  expressive  work.  The  children  may  also  coop- 
erate in  playing  the  story  and  in  picturing  it  upon  a  sand 
table  by  using  models  and  objects  that  they  themselves 
have  made.  Personification  of  characters,  dialogue,  panto- 
mime, and  other  forms  of  dramatic  story  representation 
are  helpful  to  the  child;  but  in  departments  where  children 
of  three  grades  or  years  must  meet  for  the  instruction, 
and  where  the  session  is  only  one  hour  long,  it  is  exceed- 
ingly difficult  to  arrange  for  such  work.  It  is  a  hopeful 
sign  that  in  some  Sunday  schools  classes  for  week-day  re- 
ligious instruction  are  being  inaugurated.  In  the  school- 
where  there  are  such  classes,  and  the  Sunday  and  week- 
day work  are  correlated,  interesting  forms  of  handwork, 
dramatic  story  representation,  and  other  expressive  activi- 
ties may  each  have  a  place  to  the  advantage  of  the  pupils. 

As  our  Primary  Departments  are  now  organized  and 
conducted,  about  all  that  the  children  can  do  in  class  to 
represent  a  story  dramatically  is  to  assume  a  character 
and  read  or  tell  the  story  at  opportune  places.  The  best 
forms  of  handwork  for  use.  on  Sunday  in  a  one-hour  ses- 
sion are  drawing,  coloring,  pasting,'  and  writing.  Some 
teachers  find  it  possible  to  add  paper  tearing  and  cutting; 
others  some  forms  of  paper  folding  and  picturing  on  a 
class  table  by  means  of  models  and  toys. 

2.   Desirable  forms  of  handwork.      Drawing  and  color- 


MATERIALS  AND  FORMS  OF  HANDWORK         91 

ing,  pasti7ig  and  writing,  lend  themselves  to  expressive 
work.  The  six-year-old  child  who,  with  pencil  or  colored 
crayons,  pictures  an  event  or  moment  in  the  story  he  has 
heard  is  giving  expression  to  his  idea.  Such  work  adds 
another  association  with  the  lesson  and  tends  to  make  the 
lesson  vivid.  Similarly,  the  six-,  seven-,  or  eight-year-old 
child's  thought  is  stimulated,  and  his  idea  of  a  model  and 
object  is  clarified  by  the  attempt  to  picture  it.  When  re- 
sults are  crude,  and  pictures  portraying  action  ridiculous, 
it  is  advisable  for  the  children  to  give  their  drawings  to 
the  teacher  and  not  to  preserve  them  in  a  handwork  book. 
Drawings  of  flowers,  fruits,  objects,  and  certain  attempts 
at  scenery  bearing  a  relation  to  the  lesson  may  be  pre- 
served. 

All  children  of  primary  age  delight  in  the  use  of  colored 
crayons.  If  they  might  have  their  own  way,  they  would 
do  little  else  than  color,  but  this  would  be  stopping  on  a 
low  plane  of  accomplishment.  They  are  acquiring  the 
ability  to  write  and  should  be  encouraged  to  express  them- 
selves in  writing.  Some  teachers  contend  that  seven-  and 
eight-year-old  children  find  writing  irksome,  but  usually 
this  is  due  to  the  teacher's  faulty  method  or  to  a  misun- 
derstanding of  the  primary  child's  ability. 

A  six-year-old  child  is  only  learning  to  write.  Toward 
the  end  of  the  year  he  may  ask  for  a  pencil  and  try  to  show 
what  he  can  do;  but  drawing,  coloring,  and  pasting  are 
more  nearly  in  line  with  his  abilities  than  writing.  The 
seven-year-old  child  is  outgrowing  story-picturing  and  is 
not  skillful  in  drawing  objects.  It  is  not  advisable  for  him 
to  do  coloring  or  pasting  with  each  lesson.  There  are  les- 
sons with  which  he  should  be  asked  to  copy  answers  to 
questions,  short  sentences,  stories,  and  memory  verses.  He 
needs  a  copy  to  follow  because  it  is  difficult  for  him  to  re- 
member how  to  spell  words  and  the  forms  of  written  let- 
ters. This  copying  need  not  be  mechanical;  it  may  be  an 
expression  of  the  child's  idea.  For  example:  If  after  tell- 
ing a  story  the  teacher  says,  "Let  us  think  what  we  would 


92  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

like  to  write  about  the  story,"  writes  down  each  state- 
ment made,  and  then  helps  the  children  to  agree  upon 
one  and  to  write  it,  the  written  work  becomes  an  expres- 
sion of  the  child's  idea.  If  the  statement  is  not  the  best, 
the  teacher  may  write  one  and  give  it  to  the  children  to 
copy  after  they  have  copied  their  own.  The  value  of  the 
work  is  to  be  found  in  the  added  association  with  the  lesson 
and  the  idea  put  into  permanent  form  by  means  of  writing 
and  placing  in  the  handwork  book. 

A  child  eight  years  old  is  able  to  answer  questions  and 
to  write  a  short  original  statement  or  a  story  about  the 
lesson  story,  but  he  should  do  this  written  work  after  he 
has  answered  the  question  orally  or  made  his  statement. 
If  possible,  he  should  tell  the  story  he  is  about  to  set  down 
on  paper.  Writing  is  an  absorbing  occupation,  and  it  is 
desirable  for  him  to  have  what  he  is  to  write  well  in  mind 
before  he  undertakes  to  write  it.  The  work  is  then  an  ex- 
pression of  his  own  idea  and  gives  him  satisfaction  and 
pleasure.  He  is  proud  of  his  achievement;  and  every  time 
he  turns  to  it  in  his  book  of  handwork  the  statement  of 
truth  or  the  story  that  will  help  him  to  recall  the  story 
told  by  the  teacher  is  there  for  him  to  read.  It  must  not 
be  supposed  that  writing  is  an  aid  to  memorization.  Its 
value  lies  in  the  child's  interest  in  his  work  and  in  the 
permanency  given  the  idea  set  forth.  Similarly,  with  re- 
gard to  the  pasting  of  pictures  the  value  is  not  in  the  me- 
chanical act  of  pasting  but  in  the  act  of  selection.  The 
picture  should  be  one  chosen  by  the  child  from  among 
different  subjects.  In  this  way  the  pasting  becomes  ex- 
pressive work.^ 

3.  How  to  test  the  value  of  handwork.  Handivork  to 
1)6  done  in  connection  with  any  lesson  should  he  tested  hy 
its  relation  to  that  lesson  and  the  lesson  'purpose.  Will  it 
prepare  the  child  for  the  lesson  and  help  him  to  under- 
stand it?    Will  it  teach  a  lesson  fact  or  deepen  the  impres- 


1  See  Chapter  XIII   and  the  admirable  methods  followed  by  the 
third  teacher. 


MATERIALS  AND  FORMS  OF  HANDWORK         93 

sion  of  the  lesson  truth?  Will  it  help  the  child  by  its  sug- 
gestion or  the  impulse  it  gives  to  action  to  carry  over  into 
his  own  life  some  right  thought,  word,  or  deed?-  If  the 
work  proposed  answers  this  test  it  is  handwork  in  the 
proper  use  of  the  word.  If  it  does  not,  if  its  value  lies  in 
its  attractiveness  alone,  or  if  it  has  only  a  passing  and  not 
a  permanent  teaching  value,  it  is  busy  work.  A  clear 
distinction  should  always  be  made  between  handwork  and 
busy  work.  Busy  work  should  be  used  only  occasionally  in 
the  Sunday  school  if  at  all. 

Busy  work  is  attractive  to  most  children.  It  is  some- 
thing that  they  may  do  by  themselves  and  without  the  dic- 
tation or  direction  of  the  teacher,  and  they  like  to  do  it. 
Filling  in  outlines  of  letters  or  memory  verses  with  cray- 
ons or  paints,  coloring  pictures,  tracing  or  filling  in  pic- 
tures in  outline,  are  types  of  busy  work.  Such  work  is 
mechanical,  has  little  teaching  value,  and  may  be  done  by 
the  children  at  home. 

4.  Directing  the  handwork.  The  teacher  should  be 
familiar  with  each  detail  of  the  work  she  expects  her  pupils 
to  do.  This  familiarity  is  to  be  gained  only  by  doing  it 
first  as  a  part  of  the  lesson  preparation. 

The  materials  for  use  should  be  in  readiness  and  in  order. 
There  should  be  no  assembling  of  materials  during  the  les- 
son period.  This  should  be  done  before  Sunday  school.^ 
Proper  tools  should  be  ready  for  use.  The  Sunday-school 
session  is  not  the  time  in  which  to  sharpen  pencils,  get 
out  pictures  for  pasting,  or  prepare  handwork  pages. 

The  handwork  should  be  directed  by  the  class  teacher, 
but  the  teacher  should  be  under  the  direction  of  the  super- 
intendent, director  of  instruction,  or  supervisor  of  the  chil- 
dren's departments.  This  assumes,  of  course,  that  the  one 
who  is  at  the  head  of  the  department  understands  the 
theory  and  practice  of  handwork  and  is  capable  of  direct- 


2  See  Chapter  XII,  on  the  use  of  pictures. 

3  See  Lesson  II  and  the  use  of  basket  by  the  teacher  who  taught 
the   lesson 


94  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

ing  it  and  supervising  the  teachers.  Otherwise  a  teacher 
or  assistant  should  be  in  charge  of  the  handwork. 

Class  tables  on  which  the  children  may  work  are  a  con- 
venience but  not  a  necessity.  Heavy  cardboards,  a  low 
shelf  around  the  sides  of  the  room  upon  which  to  lay  work, 
or  even  the  seats  of  the  chairs  are  substitutes  for  tables; 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  no  makeshift  gives  com- 
plete satisfaction.  The  best  work  can  be  done  under  the 
best  conditions.  The  time  for  doing  handwork  varies.  With 
some  lessons  the  best  time  is  before  the  story;  with  other 
lessons,  after  the  story,  as  a  form  of  lesson  expression. 
Handwork  may  also  be  used  in  connection  with  the  lesson 
review,  as  a  form  of  recall. 

Children  should  'be  encouraged  to  work  neatly  and  for 
results  that  are  worth  while.  The  work,  as  far  as  possible, 
should  quicken  the  child's  appreciation  of  the  beautiful, 
for  such  an  appreciation  will  make  him  more  responsive 
to  that  which  is  beautiful  in  character  and  life.  Handwork 
has  many  values  and  is  an  effective  means  of  religious 
education  if  developed  in  the  right  way  and  made  to  serve 
the  purpose  of  the  instruction. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  Choose  a  Bible  story  and  illustrate  it  by  drawing. 

2.  With  clay  or  plasticine  construct  a  model  with  which 
to  illustrate  a  detail  in  a  Bible  story. 

3.  With  cardboard,  paper  boxes,  or  construction  paper 
construct  a  model  that  may  be  used  on  the  sand  table  in 
reproducing  some  mode  of  life  about  which  the  children 
should  know. 

4.  Choose  a  Bible  story  adapted  to  give  an  impulse  to 
action.  Find  and  mount  a  picture  of  child  life  adapted  to 
give  added  potency  to  this  impulse. 

(Note. — A  teacher  studying  this  book  as  a  part  of  a 
correspondence  course  may  write  descriptions  of  her  hand- 
work, send  her  work  for  criticism,  or  send  photographs 
of  it.) 


CHAPTER  XV 

HELPING  THE  CHILD  TO  BUILD  THE  LESSON  INTO 
HIS  CHARACTER 

A  LITTLE  girl,  a  pupil  in  a  certain  Primary  Department, 
fell  while  at  play  and  injured  herself  in  such  a  way  that 
when  she  left  the  hospital  she  would  be  obliged  to  wear  a 
brace  and  use  a  crutch.  It  was  learned  that  her  compan- 
ions in  Sunday  school  might  assist  in  procuring  these,  and 
for  several  weeks  the  children  earned  or  saved  money 
from  their  allowance  and  gave  it  as  a  special  offering.  The 
money  was  deposited  in  what  was  called  the  "gold  box" — 
a  pasteboard  box  covered  with  gold  paper  to  make  it  bright 
and  attractive.  By  the  time  the  bill  was  settled  it  had  be- 
come a  habit  with  many  of  the  children  to  give  regularly 
of  their  own  mone;^,  and  they  continued  to  bring  contribu- 
tions for  Sunday  school  and  charitable  purposes. 

1.  The  significance  of  feeling-  and  impulse.  Habit 
has  its  beginnings  in  feeling  and  impulse.  It  was  the  chil- 
dren's sympathy  for  their  little  friend  in  the  hospital  which 
gave  them  the  desire  to  help  her.  This  impulse  led  them 
to  make  sacrifices,  to  work,  and  to  give.  By  so  doing  they 
learned  what  it  means  to  do  for  others  and  to  give,  for  "no 
thought  is  ever  definite  until  it  has  been  consciously  lived 
out  or  wrought  out,"'  and  they  formed  the  habits  of  ready 
response  to  the  need  of  others  and  of  personal  giving. 

Feeling  and  impulse  must  find  expression  in  action.  It 
was  just  a  little  first-year  lad,  the  boy  who  listened  so  at- 
tentively to  the  story  of  the  Israelites  bringing  gifts  for 
the  building  of  the  tabernacle.^  His  eyes  still  shone  in 
appreciation  of  the  people  "who  gave  more  than  was  need- 

^  Dynamic  Factors  in  Education,  O'Shea. 

'^  Bible  Stoi'ies  for  the  Sunday  School  and  Home,  Year  1,  Lesson  10. 

95 


96  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

ed."  When  the  children  were  reminded  that  Christmas 
was  approaching  and  were  asked  what  they  would  like  to 
do  or  to  whom  they  would  like  to  give  to  remember  the 
birthday  of  Jesus,  they  decided  to  make  two  offerings:  one 
of  money  to  help  pay  for  repairs  on  the  Sunday-school 
building,  and  one  of  scrapbooks  for  children  in  the  home 
for  crippled  children.  When  opportunity  was  given  the 
lad  to  speak,  he  leaned  forward  and  said:  "I  have  a  whole 
bank  full  of  money  at  home.  I  will  give  it  all."  His  teacher 
suspected  that  he  might  not  be  permitted  to  carry  out  his 
generous  intention  and  suggested,  "Bring  what  father  and 
mother  are  willing  for  you  to  give,  and  bring  it  next  Sun- 
day." He  brought  no  more  than  his  usual  offering  and 
showed  no  interest  in  what  he  or  the  other  children  gave 
that  day  or  following  Sundays.  Because  he  did  not  act  in 
response  to  his  desire,  the  desire  and  impulse  faded  away. 
By  means  of  this  negative  story  a  positive  truth  becomes 
apparent — namely,  that  if  feelings  are  to  become  perma- 
nent attitudes,  and  acts  are  to  become  iixed  as  habits,  feel- 
ings and  impulses  must  find  expression  in  action. 

2.  Guiding  the  child's  impulse.  The  young  child  needs 
help  and  guidance  in  carrying  out  his  impulses.  It  is 
possible  that  after  leaving  Sunday  school  the  child  who  was 
so  eager  to  give  went  away  with  his  parents  or  had  some 
experience  that  caused  him  to  forget  his  intentions.  It 
is  far  more  probable  that  permission  to  take  money  out  of 
his  bank  was  refused.  If  his  parents  had  understood  that 
giving  money  of  his  own  would  be  a  helpful  character- 
building  experience,  they  would  have  made  it  possible  for 
him  to  earn  money  or  would  have  helped  him  to  do  with- 
out something  he  wanted,  so  that  he  might  share  in  the 
giving.  Parents  need  to  understand  that  the  lessons  taught 
in  Sunday  school  are  for  the  children's  good  and  their  re- 
ligious nurture.  The  Primary  Department  also  has  its 
part  to  fulfill. 

It  has  been  said  repeatedly  that  the  appeal  of  the  stories 
we  tell  in  the  Primary  Department  is  to  the  feelings.    Their 


HELPING  THE  CHILD  TO  BUILD  CHARACTER    97 

purpose  is  to  call  forth  desires  and  impulses  that  will  lead 
to  action  and  will  aid  in  establishing  habits.  For  the 
reason  that  not  all  parents  understand  and  are  able  to 
cooperate  with  the  Sunday  school,  the  Primary  Department 
should  not  wholly  depend  on  the  home.  It  should  make 
as  definite  provision  for  expressional  activities  as  for  reli- 
gious instruction  and  worship.  If  the  feeling  stirred  is 
one  that  may  be  expressed  in  Sunday  school — such  as  praise 
or  gratitude  to  God — opportunity  should  be  given  the  chil- 
dren- to  express  the  feeling  in  worship.  If  the  impulse 
aroused  may  be  expressed  best  in  acts  of  service,  there 
should  be  services  for  the  children  to  render,  errands  for 
them  to  go  upon,  the  room  to  be  put  in  order  at  the  close 
of  the  session,  the  blackboard  to  clean,  books  and  equip- 
ment to  replace,  signals  and  rules  to  obey  promptly  and 
cheerfully,  and  many  kindnesses  to  perform  for  others.  If 
there  are  pictures  to  be  collected  for  Christmas  gift  books 
for  hospital  or  other  uses,  if  there  is  money  to  be  earned 
or  saved,  the  children  need  to  be  reminded  of  what  they 
are  to  do  at  home  and  encouraged  to  carry  out  their  pur- 
poses. Attractive  envelopes  in  which  to  place  pictures, 
boxes  or  bags  in  which  to  bring  their  money,  attractive 
boxes  or  baskets  for  the  reception  of  their  offerings,  re- 
minders in  the  way  of  post  cards  sent  to  the  children  or 
notes  to  their  parents,  are  among  the  helpful  devices  that 
may  be  employed. 

3.  The  necessity  of  action.  Action  in  response  to 
right  impulses  is  necessary  for  the  child's  training  in  reli- 
gion and  growth  in  Christian  character.  By  way  of  fur- 
ther illustration  and  to  understand  better  what  is  meant, 
take  the  case  of  the  little  girl  who  was  an  only  child  and 
greatly  beloved  by  her  parents  and  other  adult  relatives. 
Up  to  the  time  when  she  was  between  three  and  four  years 
old,  her  experience  had  been  almost  wholly  that  of  receiv- 
ing. Her  parents  realized  her  need  to  experience  real  giv- 
ing— that  is,  the  parting  with  something  that  was  her  own. 
They  proposed  going  to  see  a  younger  child  and  taking  her 


98  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

a  gift.  The  desire  to  take  a  toy  from  among  the  child's 
collection  was  called  forth.  The  child  made  her  selection, 
and  then  mother  and  little  daughter  went  at  once  to  pay 
the  visit  and  bestow  the  toy.  The  experience  was  a  happy 
one  throughout.  It  was  an  effort  toward  getting  the  habit 
of  giving  started  and  of  helping  the  child  to  understand 
what  it  means  to  give. 

Children  of  primary  age  are  like  this  little  girl.  They 
need  to  do  right,  first,  that  desirable  habits  may  be  started; 
but  secondly,  that  the  concept  of  duty  may  emerge,  and 'con- 
science may  be  quickened.  These  steps  are  necessary  if, 
finally,  the  children  are  to  determine  their  own  conduct 
and  to  act  in  response  to  duty  and  from  the  motive  of  love 
and  obedience  to  God. 

Neitlier  the  form  of  expression  nor  the  specific  act  should 
6e  imposed  upon  the  child  'by  the  teacher;  as  far  as  possible, 
toth  should  be  of  his  own  initiating.  When  the  desire  or 
Impulse  occasioned  by  a  story  may  be  expressed  concretely, 
the  children  should  have  an  active  part  in  proposing  and 
discussing  what  may  be  done,  in  deciding  what  is  best,  and 
in  planning  for  its  accomplishment.  The  teacher's  part  is 
to  guide  by  the  skillful  use  of  suggestions  and  questions 
and  to  see  that  the  means  for  carrying  out  the  activity  are 
available.  In  addition  she  should  encourage  conversation 
about  what  the  children  will  try  to  do  at  home  in  response 
to  a  lesson.  She  should  help  them  to  understand  their 
failures  and  should  encourage  further  effort,  for  not-  all 
lessons  can  be  acted  on  in  Sunday  school  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  teacher.  Many  lessons  are  designed  to  help 
the  child  meet  problems  and  overcome  temptations  in  his 
home,  school,  and  play  life;  others  are  expressed  by  the 
child  in  quiet  hours — when  he  kneels  by  his  bed  to  pray, 
when  he  feels  his  need  of  forgiveness  and  of  strength  with 
which  to  be  good.  These  are  the  times  when  the  Spirit  of 
God  speaks  to  the  child's  spirit;  and  if  in  the  child's  heart 
there  are  love,  trust,  obedience,  and  reverence,  he  well  ex- 
press  these   religious   feelings   in   prayer   and   prayerlike 


HELPING  THE  CHILD  TO  BUILD  CHARACTER     99 

thoughts,  building  habits  of  communion  with  God  into  his 
character.  Character  has  been  called  "the  summation  of 
habit."  Habit  is  formed  by  the  repetition  of  an  act; 
therefore,  when  we  deepen  the  child's  religious  feelings 
and  help  him  to  perform  some  religious  and  Christlike  act 
we  are  helping  him  to  build  a  Christian  character,  which 
is  our  ultimate  purpose. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  Think  of  something  the  primary  pupils  might  do  for 
others  at  the  Christmas  or  Easter  season. 

2.  Tell  how  you  would  proceed  to  awaken  interest  and  to 
arouse  impulses,  and  what  you  would  do  to  aid  the  chil- 
dren in  the  undertaking. 

3.  Make  a  list  of  everyday  acts  of  service  which  a  child 
may  do  for  others.  What  means  should  the  teacher  take  to 
suggest  such  acts  to  the  child? 


CHAPTER  XVI 
WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMARY  DEPARTMENT 

In  every  regular  session  of  the  Primary  Department  pro- 
vision is  made  not  only  for  instruction  and  its  correlated 
activities  but  also  for  worship.  The  purpose  of  this  lesson 
is  to  consider  the  worship  in  the  Primary  Department  and 
its  relation  to  the  religious  development  of  the  child. 

1.  The  significance  of  children's  worship.  Worship  is 
an  act  of  actual  communion  with  God.  As  a  consequence 
it  is  not  something  that  may  be  accomplished  for  the  child 
but  must  be  the  child's  own  act — even  in  a  service  par- 
ticipated in  by  others. 

Worship  is  necessary  for  the  child's  religious  develop- 
ment. To  the  instruction  given  in  the  Primary  Department, 
and  more  especially  to  the  Bible  stories  that  are  told,  the" 
child  responds  in  some  way.  Among  the  stories  are  those 
that  quicken  his  appreciation  of  the  Fatherhood  and  near- 
ness of  God.  There  are  many  that  reveal  to  him  God's 
infinite  love  and  never-failing  care.  The  child  responds 
with  purest  feelings  of  awe,  wonder,  reverence,  humility, 
dependence,  gratitude,  and  love.  These  are  among  the  feel- 
ings that  influence  the  child's  attitude  and  personal  bear- 
ing toward  God.  Do  you  ask,  "What  shall  be  done  with 
them?"  We  answer,  "Make  them  permanent;  build  them 
into  the  child's  character."  From  preceding  lessons  it  is 
readily  understood  that  if  these  feelings  are  not  to  pass 
away,  as  did  the  child's  desire  to  give  when  it  was  not 
acted  on,^  they  must  be  expressed.  Worship  is  the  most 
fitting  expression  of  these  feelings,  and  we  plan  for  the 
child  to  express  them  in  worship. 

The  child's  worship  should  he  suited  to  Mm  and  meet 


See  page  96. 

100 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMARY  DEPARTMENT     101 

some  present  need  in  his  life.  The  songs,  hymns,  prayers, 
and  Scripture  should  be  understood  by  the  child,  or  such 
that  he  can  come  to  understand  through  their  use.  They 
should  express  his  thoughts  and  religious  feelings  and  at 
the  same  time  lift  him  to  higher  planes  of  thinking  and 
feeling,  for  in  no  other  way  can  his  worship  contribute  to 
his  religious  nurture. 

In  a  service  of  worship  in  which  the  child  participates 
he  draws  near  to  his  heavenly  Father.  He  gains  an  added 
sense  of  God's  reality  and  feels  himself  to  be  under  God's 
observation.  Such  feelings  tend  to  strengthen  the  child's 
confidence  in  God's  care,  deepen  his  love,  call  forth  his 
efforts  for  self-control  and  right  conduct,  and  help  him  to 
live  in  happy  daily  companionship  with  the  heavenly 
Fattier.  Thus,  there  are  many  reasons  why  worship  is  a 
religious  experience  which  the  child  needs. 

2.  Training  children  in  worship.  It  is  imperative 
that  there  shall  be  times  for  worship  and  that  these  times 
shall  occur  with  something  of  frequency  and  regularity. 
The  very  little  child's  love  and  gratitude  overflow  in  joyous 
songs  of  praise  and  in  spontaneous  prayers:  "Thank  you, 
God,  for  my  new  toy.  Thank  you,  God,  for  everything.'* 
It  is  natural  to  him  to  add  to  his  finished  petition:  "I 
am  sorry  I  was  naughty  to-day.  Help  me  to  be  a  good 
boy." 

The  primary  child  is  more  reserved;  he  does  not  express 
himself  so  spontaneously.  Interests  crowd  upon  him;  and 
unless  occasions  are  arranged  for  him,  he  is  apt  to  not 
take  time  for  communion  with  God.  These  occasions 
should  occur  with  frequency  and  regularity,  so  that  he  may 
form  the  habit  of  worship.  To  meet  the  child's  need,  to 
give  him  opportunities  for  worship  and  training,  there 
should  be  a  service  of  worship  in  connection  with  each  reg- 
ular session  of  the  Primary  Department. 

This  does  not  mean  that  the  primary  children  are  never 
to  meet  with  other  departments  of  the  school,  are  never  to 
go  into  the  church  for  special  services,  or,  after  Sunday 


102  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

school  is  over,  are  not  to  go  into  the  church  for  a  short 
service  planned  for  children.  It  does  mean  that  the  pri- 
mary children  should  not  meet  regularly  with  other  de- 
partments of  the  school  and  have  no  regular  worship  of  > 
their  own.  Even  in  a  one-room  building,  where  all  pupils 
meet  together  for  opening  and  closing  services,  the  primary 
children,  after  five  or  not  more  than  ten  minutes  of  the 
general  service,  should  be  permitted  to  go  to  their  own 
screened  corner,  that  they  may  still  have  their  own  service 
and  receive  the  training  they  need. 

Our  desire  and  purpose  for  the  child  are  not  that  he 
shall  worship  only  in  church  and  Sunday  school  but  that 
he  shall  form  the  habit  of  daily  prayer.  He  may  fail  in 
this  unless  he  knows  how  to  address  God  and  how  to  ex- 
press his  thoughts  and  feelings  in  words.  He  needs  formal 
prayers  for  certain  times  and  occasions,  but  far  more  he 
needs  experience  in  the  use  of  simple  sentence  prayers 
with  which  to  speak  intimately  to  God. 

The  child  is  given  this  experience  at  Sunday  school 
and  receives  the  training  he  needs  when,  with  head  bowed 
and  eyes  closed,  he  repeats  the  prayer  of  the  leader  clause 
by  clause  or  sentence  by  sentence.  That  this  prayer  may 
be  an  expression  of  each  child's  thought  and  feeling  the 
leader  or  teacher  prepares  for  it  by  asking  the  children 
to  tell  for  what  they  would  like  to  praise  or  thank  God. 
Or  she  gives  them  the  opportunity  to  suggest  the  subject 
for  a  prayer.  This  is  not  done  with  each  prayer,  and 
possibly  not  each  Sunday,  but  frequently.  There  are  occa- 
sions when  it  is  desirable  for  the  children  to  listen  to  the 
leader's  prayer,  for  they  need  to  hear  thoughts  expressed 
which  are  bigger  than  their  own.  It  is  desirable  also  to 
give  some  definite  training  for  prayer  by  helping  the  chil- 
dren formulate  prayers  for  use  in  the  different  services 
of  worship.  This  should  be  done  during  an  instruction 
period,  in  connection  with  the  teaching  of  the  lesson,  or 
as   an  expression   of   a   lesson.-     The   children   may   write 


See  Chapter  VII,  page  53. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMARY  DEPARTMENT     103 

these  prayers  in  a  book  or  preserve  copies  of  them,  that 
they  may  have  them  for  personal  use. 

3.  The  primary  service  of  \vorship.  The  service  for 
each  session  of  the  Primary  Department  should  be  care- 
fully and  thoughtfully  planned.  Worship  is  the  child's 
thoughts  going  out  to  God  and  the  child's  feelings  ex- 
pressed in  an  act  of  personal  communion.  For  this  reason 
the  child's  worship  is  not  to  be  lightly  regarded.  The 
service  in  which  he  is  to  participate  should  be  planned 
with  great  forethought  and  conducted  in  a  reverent  man- 
ner. Children  sense  the  whole  personal  bearing  of  the 
leader  as  quickly  as  they  do  the  significance  of  the  hymns 
and  prayers,  hence  the  leader  should  be  reverent  in  spirit 
and  not  only  lead  in  worship  but  worship  with  the  chil- 
dren. 

The  primary  service  of  worship  should  have  an  objective, 
a  purpose.  Usually  this  purpose  should  be  to  guide  the 
child  in  expressing  a  religious  feeling  that  is  strong  and 
intense  because  of  some  immediate  interest  in  his  life  or 
some  impulse  aroused  by  the  lesson  teaching.  Occasionally 
the  purpose  of  the  worship  may  be  to  awaken  some  feel- 
ing that  is  necessary  to  his  religious  development  and  to 
help  him  express  it. 

By  noting  the  instruction  given  in  the  classes  from  Sun- 
day to  Sunday  the  leader  can  tell  fairly  well  what  feelings 
are  being  aroused  and  plan  the  service  accordingly.  Is  it 
the  springtime  of  the  year,  and  are  the  children  being  led 
to  think  of  God's  wonderful  power  "making  all  things 
new"?  Then  in  their  worship  the  children  should  express 
their  joy  and  their  gratitude  to  him  for  his  good  gifts  of 
opening  leaf  buds,  baby  birds  in  their  tree-top  nests,  flow- 
ering plants,  and  beauty  in  life  everywhere.  Are  the  sto- 
ries telling  of  God's  care?  Then  in  their  worship  the  chil- 
dien  should  express  their  dependence,  trust,  and  gratitude. 
Similarly,  all  through  the  year,  there  should  be  a  close 
correlation  of  the  instruction  and  the  worship. 

Religious  feelings  may  be  stirred  by  worshipful  music, 


104  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

a  gloriously  beautiful  day,  a  moth  emerging  from  its  cocoon, 
buds  bursting  into  flower,  and  other  objects  of  nature,  by 
appropriate  verses  and  poetical  prose  telling  of  God's  power 
and  greatness,  by  hymns  or  worshipful  songs,  and  by  the 
reading  or  recitation  of  selected  Bible  verses.  All  these 
are  means  that  may  be  used  in  the  Primary  Department  for 
arousing  religious  feeling.  Some  of  these  are  means  by 
which  such  feeling  may  be  expressed. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  Imagine  that  the  Sunday-school  superintendent  or 
some  other  officer  does  not  appreciate  the  importance  of  a 
primary  service  of  worship.  Arrange  your  defense  and 
state  the  reasons  you  would  present  in  convincing  him 
that  the  primary  children  should  participate  in  a  service 
of  worship  planned  especially  for  them  and  conducted  in 
the  Primary  Department  room. 

2.  Arrange  a  service  of  worship  such  as  you  would  use 
on  a  bright,  cold  day  in  January,  when  there  is  snow  on 
the  ground.  Choose  the  songs  and  plan  the  prayer  service 
with  special  care. 

3.  Plan  another  service  suitable  for  a  rainy  day  in  the 
spring. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

HOW  TO  PLAN  A  PRIMARY  PROGRAM 

For  each  session  of  the  Primary  Department  there  should 
be  a  plan.  A  plan  formulated  step  by  step  constitutes  a 
program.  A  primary  program  provides  for  worship  and  in- 
struction. But  instruction  must  not  be  part  of  the  worship. 
It  may  precede,  separate,  or  follow  the  worship,  but  must 
be  differentiated  from  it. 

1.  Parts  of  the  program..  The  usual  primary  service 
of  worship  divides  itself  naturally  into  four  parts:  the 
opening,  the  offering,  the  birthday,  and  the  closing  services. 
Besides  worship  there  must  be  instruction,  the  teaching  of 
words  and  melodies  of  songs,  hymns  and  responses,  recita- 
tions and  reviews  of  memory  verses  and  correlated  lessons, 
story-telling  exercises,  and  the  lesson  teaching.  A  distinc- 
tion is  to  be  made  by  the  primary  superintendent  or  leader 
between  the  worship  and  the  instruction.  When  teaching, 
her  voice  and  manner  may  be  animated,  and  she  may  use 
pictures,  tell  stories,  ask  questions,  and  write  or  draw  upon 
the  blackboard.  When  guiding  the  worship  the  leader's 
attitude  and  manner  should  be  worshipful.  Everything 
said  and  done  by  her  should  help  to  make  the  children  rev- 
erent, for  reverence  is  an  emotion  that  may  be  communi- 
cated to  them. 

2.  The  opening  service.  The  opening  service  should 
be  one  of  worship.  The  quiet  music  with  which  teachers 
and  pupils  are  called  to  attention,  the  thoughts  brought 
to  the  children  by  the  superintendent  or  leader  as  a 
preparation  for  prayer,  should  lead  the  children  to 
think  of  God  and  to  have  a  sense  of  his  nearness  and 
presence.  In  the  prayer  the  children  should  express  the 
feelings  they  have  for  him. 

105 


106  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

To  this  end  appropriate  instrumental  music  has  its  values. 
When  it  is  time  for  the  primary  service  to  begin,  teachers 
and  pupils  will  be  in  their  places  looking  at  pictures,  hear- 
ing and  reciting  memory  verses  and  correlated  lessons,  or 
talking  together  about  the  happenings  of  the  week.  Plan 
to  call  them  to  attention  by  means  of  reverent,  worshipful 
music.  It  is  said  that  "sounds  affect  us  as  tone  and  as 
impulse."  For  this  reason  we  may  call  fofth,  by  music 
adapted  to  our  purpose,  almost  any  emotion  and  impulse 
we  wish.  For  an  opening  service  of  worship  in  the  Thanks- 
giving season  use  music  that  will  be  a-  call  to  praise.  At 
the  Christmas  season  the  music  may  suggest  chimes.  Ru- 
binstein's "Melody  in  F"  or  Mendelssohn's  "Spring  Song" 
may  be  used  for  spring  Sundays.  For  each  program  ap- 
propriate music  may  be  found. 

After  about  three  minutes  of  the  instrumental  music  the 
call  to  worship  needs  to  be  given  more  definitely  by  means 
of  a  song  or  hymn,  a  greeting  or  introductory  statement  by 
the  superintendent,  or  a  recitation  in  unison  of  appropriate 
Bible  verses.  To  determine  what  form  this  further  call 
shall  take  is  the  next  step.  It  should  be  a  fitting  prepara- 
tion for  prayer. 

The  prayer  should  not  be  left  to  the  inspiration  of  the 
moment.  As  the  next  step  in  program  making  its  content 
and  form  should  be  decided.  If  it  is  to  be  a  sentence 
prayer,  it  should  be  thought  out  or  written  out,  for  it  must 
be  suitable  in  every  way.  Upon  occasion  for  a  series  of 
Sundays  the  prayer  may  be  one  the  children  have  cooper- 
ated in  framing.  Occasionally  it  may  be  a  prayer  to  which 
the  children  listen.  Usually,  it  should  be  one  in  which 
they  unite  with  their  teachers  in  repeating  or  saying  after 
the  leader  clause  by  clause  or  sentence  by  sentence.  In 
this  way  they  have  a  feeling  that  they  are  speaking  to 
God.  They  need  the  experience  of  prayer  for  the  nurture 
and  enrichment  of  their  religious  life. 

The  songs  or  hymns  for  the  opening  service  should  be 
suited  to  the  purpose  of  the  worship  as  a  whole  and  to  the 


HOW  TO  PLAN  A  PRIMARY  PROGRAM  107 

opening  service  in  particular.  For  example:  If  the  service 
is  to  be  one  of  praise  and  thanksgiving,  by  means  of 
the  songs  the  children  should  give  praise  and  thanks  to 
God.  The  words  of  all  songs  should  be  suited  to  the  chil- 
dren's power  of  understanding,  and  the  music  to  their 
voices.  When  the  music  is  too  high  or  too  low,  it  may  be 
played  in  a  different  key,  or  a  high  or  low  note  may  be 
changed.  The  one  who  plans  the  program  and  leads  the 
worship  should  choose  the  songs,  but  a  list  of  the  songs 
to  be  sung  should  be  prepared  for  the  pianist  each  Sunday 
and  for  the  leader  of  the  singing.  When  new  songs  are  to 
be  taught,  it  is  advisable  for  the  pianist  and  leader  of  the 
singing  to  practice  them  together  before  asking  the  children 
to  sing  them.  When  possible  the  children  should  be  given 
the  opportunity  of  choosing  a  new  song  to  learn.  If  this 
is  impracticable,  they  should  have  frequent  opportunity  of 
calling  for  and  singing  favorite  songs  in  a  special  song 
period. 

3.  The  offering  service.  The  offering  and  its  service 
should  be  acts  of  worship.  The  bringing  and  giving  of 
offerings  are  acts  of  obedience  and  worship,  for  we  read, 
"Bring  an  offering  and  come  into  his  courts."  To  plan 
the  offering  service  is  the  next  step.  It  is  advisable  for 
it  to  follow  the  opening  service,  being  connected  with  and 
growing  out  of  it.  Moreover,  the  money  or  the  primary 
treasurer's  report  will  be  ready  for  the  school  treasurer 
when  he  calls  for  it.  Whether  the  children  bring  their 
offering  in  envelopes  provided  by  the  school  for  that  pur- 
pose or  in  their  hands,  there  is  an  advantage  in  having  it 
deposited  in  a  basket  or  other  receptacle  at  the  entrance 
door.  In  this  way  the  children  get  it  out  of  their  hands 
quickly,  and  there  is  no  need  of  going  to  coats  or  pocket- 
books  at  the  time  of  its  presentation.  If  the  children  in 
each  class  place  their  offering  in  a  class  envelope,  it  should 
be  collected  early  and,  if  possible,  before  the  session. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  offering  service  the  offering  bas- 
ket may  be  brought  to  the  leader  by  some  child,  or  the  en- 


108  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

velopes  may  be  brought  from  the  classes  by  a  pupil  from 
each  class.  Quiet  music,  a  song,  or  appropriate  Bible  verses, 
recited  as  the  offering  is  brought  forward,  will  create  a 
spirit  of  worship.  It  is  well  for  the  child  or  children  to  re- 
main standing  before  the  leader  until  the  close  of  the 
offering  prayer,  and  then  return  to  the  class  or  classes. 

4.  The  birthday  service.  This  is  not  an  act  of  worship, 
but  it  should  nevertheless  be  made  worshipful.  Since  the 
birthday  child  brings  a  birthday  offering  of  as  many  pen- 
nies as  he  is  years  old,  a  natural  time  for  this  service  is 
after  the  regular  offering.  In  most  Primary  Departments 
the  birthday  money  is  devoted  to  a  charitable  or  mission- 
ary object.  The  purpose  of  the  offering  and  service  is  to 
arouse  pleasurable  feelings,  to  establish  happy  associations 
with  God's  house,  and  to  have  a  helpful  religious  influence 
upon  the  children.  For  the  last  reason  it  is  advisable  to 
relegate  birthday  cakes  and  candles  to  the  home  celebration 
or  to  a  birthday  party  in  the  Sunday-school  rooms.  By 
means  of  the  birthday  greeting,  song,  and  prayer  the  child 
should  be  carried  close  to  God  and  made  to  feel  that  God 
knows  and  cares  what  kind  of  a  child  he  is.  In  this  way 
he  will  be  given  a  motive  for  right  conduct.  In  small  de- 
partments, where  there  are  only  a  few  children  whose 
birthdays  are  to  be  remembered,  each  child  in  the  room 
may  be  mentioned  by  name.  In  large  departments,  where 
each  Sunday  there  are  many  birthday  children,  it  is  not 
advisable  to  do  this,  for  the  repetition  of  name  after  name 
detracts  from  the  service.  In  departments  where  the  ses- 
sion is  less  than  an  hour  a  birthday  service  may  be  held 
once  a  month  instead  of  every  Sunday.  But  whatever  plan 
is  chosen,  the  leader  should  have  birthday  cards  ready. 
These  may  be  given  in  Sunday  school  or  sent  through  the 
mail. 

5.  Instruction.  The  program  should  include  a  period 
for  instruction  other  than  lesson  teaching.  Story-telling 
exercises,  the  recitation  of  memory  verses,  and  the  teach- 
ing of  the  words  of  new  songs  are  usually  in  charge  of  the 


HOW  TO  PLAN  A  PRIMARY  PROGRAM  109 

superintendent.  If  there  is  story  dramatization,  it  should 
be  in  charge  of  the  class  teacher  or  primary  superintendent. 
Each  week  in  planning  the  program  the  leader  must  decide 
whether  a  new  song  is  to  be  taught  or  other  instruction  is 
to  be  given.  Similarly,  it  is  advisable  to  plan  for  the  period 
following  the  class  work  and  preceding  the  closing  service. 
This  is  the  superintendent's  opportunity  for  unifying  the 
teaching.  If  she  is  ready  with  suitable  words  of  direction 
or  appeal,  a  hymn  or  song,  or  a  prayer,  she  may  bring  the 
instruction  to  an  impressive  close  and  prepare  for  the  clos- 
ing service. 

6.  The  closing  service.  This  should  be  one  of  worship. 
It  may  be  a  song  or  prayer  or  both,  but  because  of  it  the 
children  should  go  from  God's  house  feeling  that  they 
have  been  in  his  presence  and  impressed  by  this  experience. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  Give  the  titles  and  words  of  one  or  two  songs  appro- 
priate for  an  opening  service  of  worship  in  the  Primary 
Department;  for  the  primary  children  to  sing  at  Easter, 
Thanksgiving,  and  Christmas;  for  an  offering,  birthday, 
and  closing  service  in  the  Primary  Department. 

2.  Give  the  details  of  a  primary  opening  service  of  wor- 
ship, based  upon  the  theme  God's  love  and  care. 

3.  Write  an  offering  and  a  birthday  prayer  for  use  with 
primary  children. 

4.  Visit  a  primary  department  and  note  the  program  in 
all  its  details.  Were  the  four  essential  parts  of  the  program 
adequately  provided  for?  Was  there  evidence  of  careful 
preparation?  Were  the  materials  of  the  program  and  the 
manner  of  presentation  suited  to  the  child's  needs. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

A  PRIMARY  PROGRAM  FOR  A  SUNDAY  IN  NOVEMBER 

Thanksgiving  is  approaching.  It  is  desirable  for  an 
appropriate  song  to  be  taught  and  for  preparations  to  be 
made  for  a  special  Thanksgiving  activity.  The  program 
must  therefore  be  planned  and  conducted  with  thought 
and  care,  that  the  children  may  not  be  confused  by  too 
many  ideas,  and  that  full  time  may  be  secured  for  the  class 
work  and  lesson  teaching. 

1.  Important  details.  The  following  details  require 
attention  before  the  beginning  of  the  session:  (1)  Pictures 
of  fruits  and  vegetables  and  harvest  pictures  selected  for 
use  in  the  room  and  in  developing  the  Thanksgiving  song. 
(2)  Pictures  and  other  illustrative  material  chosen  for  use 
in  first-,  second-,  and  third-year  classes.  (3)  Superintend- 
ent's requisites,  Bible,  songbooks,  and  birthday  equipment, 
in  readiness.  (4)  The  words  of  the  new  song  written  upon 
the  blackboard  or  printed  on  muslin  and  placed  where 
teachers  and  pupils  may  see  and  read  them. 

2.  Program   detail. 

(1)  Purpose  of  the  worship. — To  call  forth  the  spirit  of 
worship  and  the  impulse  of  praise  and  to  direct  the  chil- 
dren's expression  of  thanks  and  praise  to  God. 

(2)  Opening  service  of  worship. —  (a) Instrumental  mu- 
sic: "Sunday  morning,"  in  Songs  for  Little  People.  (6) 
Song:     "The  Church,"  in  Songs  for  Little  People: 

"The  quiet  Sabbath  day  is  here. 
And,  pealing  forth  so  loud  and  clear, 
The  chimes  of  church  bell  reach  the  ear, 
Ding!    Dong!    Ding!  ^ 


1  "Come  !  Come !  Come  !"  may  be  substituted  for  "Ding !  Dong ! 
Ding  :" 

110 


PROGRAM  FOR  A  SUNDAY  IN  NOVEMBER   111 

"As  to  the  church  we  take  our  way, 
The  bells'  deep  voices  seem  to  say. 
Come  worship  God  this  holy  day, 
Ding!  Dong!   Ding! 

"The  quiet  church  is  hushed  in  prayer. 
We  bow  the  head  while  waiting  there, 
And  softly  falls  the  golden  light 
Thro'  arching  windows  high  and  bright." 

(c)  Preparation  for  prayer:  We  have  come  to  Sunday 
school  to-day  to  worship  God.  We  do  this  when  we  think 
about  him,  when  we  sing  songs  of  praise  and  thanksgiving, 
and  when  we  speak  to  him  in  prayer.  What  shall  we  say 
to  him  to-day?  (d)  Prayer:  (The  children  should  ret)eat 
the  words  after  the  leader,  who  should  try  to  embody  in  the 
prayer  the  suggestions  made  by  the  children.)  Heavenly 
Father,  we  thank  thee  that  we  may  speak  to  thee  in  prayer 
and  tell  thee  the  thoughts  we  are  thinking.  We  thank  and 
praise  thee  for  this  day  and  for  all  the  days  of  the  week. 
We  thank  thee  for  home  and  food,  for  love. and  care,  and 
for  the  many  other  good  gifts  about  which  we  are  learning 
at  the  Thanksgiving  season.     Amen.- 

(3)  Offering  service. —  (a)  Preparation:  We  may  wor- 
ship God  in  still  another  way.  It  is  by  giving  or  sharing 
with  others  the  good  things  we  ourselves  have  received. 
Let  us  make  ready  to  present  our  offering  and  to  speak  to 
God  about  it. 

(&)  Presentation:  (Choose  some  pupil  to  bring  the  offer- 
ing basket  forward.  If  possible  to  arrange  for  it,  have 
quiet  music  played  as  this  is  done,  then  ask  the  questions 
and  lead  teachers  and  pupils  in  repeating  the  Bible  verses: ) 

From  whom  does  every  good  gift  come? 
"Every  good  gift  and  every  perfect  gift  is  from  above, 
coming  down  from  the  Father." 

What  does  the  Bible  tell  us  about  giving? 
"Freely  ye  received,  freely  give." 


*  Later  in  the  year,  after  the  Lord's  Prayer  has  been  explained 
and  taught,  it  might  be  used  here. 


112  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

(c)  Preparation  for  prayer:  Let  us  speak  to  God  about 
the  gifts  we  have  brought  to-day.  (d)  Prayer:  Heavenly 
Father,  we  are  glad  to  come  to  Sunday  school  to-day  and 
to  give  freely  for  others.  May  our  gifts  help  to  make 
someone  happy,  help  someone  to  know  and  love  thee  and 
Jesus.     Amen. 

(4)  Birthday  service. —  (a)  Preparation:  There  is  a 
birthday  child  here  to-day.  Let  us  ask  him  to  come  for- 
ward so  that  we  may  give  him  our  birthday  greeting,  count 
how  many  years  he  is  old,  and  wish  him  joy  and  happiness. 
(After  the  child  has  come  forward,  lead  the  children  in 
counting  his  birthday  pennies  as  they  are  dropped  one  by 
one  'into  the  birthday  bank,  in  singing  the  song,  and  in 
prayer.)      (&)   Song:   "Birthday  Wishes,"  in  Carols: 

"Wishes  true. 
We  bring  you 

On  this  happy  birthday. 
Kind  and  dear, 
Through  the  year, 

May  the  Father  keep  you. 

"Like  the   air, 
Ev'rywhere, 

May  his  love  surround  you; 
In  his   care. 
All  may  share, 

He  is  God  our  Father." 

(c)  Birthday  prayer:  Our  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank 
thee  for  happy  birthdays  and  for  thy  love  and  care. 
Guard  our  little  friend,  be  near  him,  and  bless  him  all 
through  the  new  year.  Help  him  to  grow  in  goodness,  to 
be  like  Jesus,  and  to  take  joy  wherever  he  goes.  We  ask 
it  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  Amen.  (Usually  the  birthday 
service  would  be  followed  by  the  singing  of  some  song 
chosen  by  the  children;  but  as  a  new  song  is  to  be  taught, 
the  singing  must  be  omitted.) 

(5)  Instruction.— (a)  Song:  (The  thought  of  the  new 
song  may  be  presented  by  a  story  or  by  pictures  and  con- 


PROGRAM  FOR  A  SUNDAY  IN  NOVEMBER       113 

versation.  After  its  thought  or  idea  has  been  developed 
it  should  be  sung  to  the  children.  The  children  may  then 
spend  a  few  moments,  possibly  five,  in  learning  to  sing  it.) 
(Z>)  Class  instruction:  First-year  classes — Lesson  6,  "The 
Gift  of  Daily  Bread";  Memory  Verse:  "Every  good 
gift  and  every  perfect  gift  is  from  above,  coming  down 
from  the  Father."  (James  1.  17.)  Aim  of  the  lesson: 
to  deepen  the  feelings  of  love  and  gratitude  to  God  and  the 
impulse  to  thank  him  and  show  him  love.  Second-year 
classes — Lesson  6,  "Nehemiah,  the  King's-  Cupbearer." 
Memory  Verse:  "Jehovah  is  nigh  unto  all  them  that  call 
upon  him."  (Psa.  145.  18.)  Aim  of  the  lesson:  to  lead  the 
children  to  talk  intimately  to  God  and  to  trust  God  to  an- 
swer prayers  in  the  way  that  is  best.  Third-year  classes — 
Lesson  6,  "King  David's  Kindness  to  .a  Lame  Man."  Mem- 
ory Verse:  "Be  ye  kind  one  to  another,  tenderhearted,  for- 
giving each  other."  (Eph.  4.32.)  Aim  of  the  lesson:  to 
arouse  sympathetic  feelings  for  those  who  are  in  trouble 
and  distress  and  the  impulse  to  show"  kindness  and  to  give 
aid.  (At  the  close  of  the  lesson  period  the  classes  are  to 
be  called  to  attention  by  quiet  music.) 

(6)  TUe  superintendenf s  message  to  the  classes. — Last 
week  in  our  talk  together  we  spoke  of  a  happy  day  that  is 
coming  soon.  What  is  the  day  to  which  we  are  looking 
forward  with  such  pleasure?  What  did  we  say  that  Thanks- 
giving Day  is  especially  for?  Thanksgiving  Day  is  the  day 
for  giving  thanks  to  God  for  his  love  and  care  and  for  his 
good  gifts  of  food.  It  is  also  the  day  for  showing  our  love 
and  thanks  to  God  by  sharing  our  good  things  with  others 
or  by  doing  some  special  thing  to  make  some  one  happy. 
What  would  you  like  to  do  at  the  Thanksgiving  season, 
and  for  whom  would  you  like  to  do  it?  (Encourage  the 
children  to  make  different  suggestions.  If  these  are  not 
practicable,  tell  of  other  things  to  do  or  of  other  people 
to  whom  pleasure  may  be  given.  If  the  children  cannot 
agree,  have  a  plan  to  suggest  and  ask  for  their  cooperation, 
in  doing  v/hat  you  and  their  teachers  think  is  best. 


114  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

(7)  Closing  service  of  worship. —  (a)  Preparation  for 
prayer:  Not  only  by  doing  some  special  thing  may  we 
show  love  and  thanks  to  God,  but  by  the  thoughts  we  think, 
the  things  we  do,  and  the  words  we  speak  each  day.  Be- 
fore we  go  to  our  homes  let  us  ask  for  the  help  and  strength 
we  need  with  which  to  do  right.  Let  us  ask  for  these 
things  in  the  words  of  our  closing  song: 

"Sunday  school  is  over  for  another  day; 
Hear  us  now,  dear  Father,  as  to  thee  we  pray. 
Through  the  week  be  with  us  in  our  work  and  play; 
Make  us  kind  and  loving;  help  us  to  obey.    Amen."^ 

(8)  Dismission. —  (a)  Outdoor  garments  taken  from  the 
coat  racks.  (6)  The  children  dismissed  with  quiet  music 
when  all  are  ready,  (c)  Story  papers  other  than  the  lesson 
folders  distributed  at  the  door  as  the  children  pass  out. 
The  folders  containing  the  lesson  story  and  handwork  pages 
should  be  distributed  in  the  classes  and  used  during  the  in- 
struction period. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  In  a  primary  session  only  one  hour  in  length  what  is 
the  advantage  of  having  (a)  a  detailed  program,  (b)  super- 
intendent's requisites  ready,  and  likewise  (c)  the  pianist's, 
secretary's,  and  class  teachers'  requisites? 

2.  How  was  the  purpose  of  the  worship  fulfilled — that  is, 
by  what  songs,  prayers,  and  explanations  or  statements? 

3.  Why,  do  you  think,  was  the  word  "worship"  empha- 
sized in  the  "preparation  for  prayer"  and  in  "the  offering 
service"? 

4.  What  relations  do  you  discover  between  the  lessons 
and  the  service  of  worship? 

5.  How  was  the  lesson  teaching  unified  by  the  superin- 
tendent's message  to  the  classes  and  the  closing  service  of 
worship? 


Closing  Song  in  Carols. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
A  PRIMARY  ROOM  AND  ITS  EQUIPMENT 

A  FREQUENT  criticism  of  children  of  primary  age  is  that 
they  are  noisy  and  mischievous  and  thoughtlessly  irreverent 
in  their  classroom.  Several  causes  are  as  a  rule  responsi- 
ble for  such  conduct,  but  one  of  these  is  apt  to  be  the  Sun- 
day-school surroundings.  The  behavior  of  a  young  child 
is  largely  a  response  to  environment.  His  habits  are  not 
fixed.  He  has  few  standards  or  ideals  of  conduct  by  which 
he  is  influenced.  His  acts  proceed  from  impulses,  and 
these  spring  mostly  from  environing  conditions.  Hence  we 
must  look  to  the  primary  room  itself  for  one  explanation 
of  the  children's  behavior. 

1.  Two  primary  rooms.  The  way  into  a  certain  pri- 
mary room  was  first  through  a  dark  hall  and  next  through 
a  long  room  with  rows  of  unoccupied  chairs  and  a  look  of 
disorder  because  it  remained  as  it  had  been  left  earlier 
in  the  day  by  the  Senior  Department.  The  windows  in  this 
room  were  only  on  one  side  and  were  high  and  narrow 
and  few  in  number.  The  glass  in  the  windows  was  dark 
and  thick;  and  as  the  day  was  gray,  very  little  light  pene- 
trated, and  the  room  was  almost  as  dark  as  the  hall  that 
led  to  it. 

The  primary  room  was  dingy.  The  carpet  had  seen  many 
years  of  service.  The  walls  and  ceiling  needed  fresh  paint. 
Because  there  was  no  cloakroom  or  other  provision  for  the 
children's  outdoor  garments,  these  were  heaped  on  chairs 
in  corners  and  along  the  wall,  making  for  disorder  and 
confusion.  It  was  seldom  that  the  room  was  used  in  the 
evening;  hence,  the  lighting  system  was-  inadequate.  The 
few  flickering  gas  lights  did  not  give  sufficient  light  for 
the  children  to  attempt  reading  or  any  form  of  handwork. 

115 


116  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

The  room  was  small.  There  could  be  little  change  of  posi- 
tion or  movement,  and  no  activities  could  be  undertaken. 
Instruction  had  to  be  given  through  the  ear  alone,  and 
helpful  associations  through  the  use  of  the  eye  and  hand 
could  not  be  established. 

The  children  behaved  as  one  might  expect.  They  banged 
the  street  doors,  for  what  little  child  will  stop  in  a  dark 
hall  to  close  doors  quietly?  They  hurried  and  scurried 
through  the  hall,  for  with  the  child,  darkness  and  unusual 
surroundings  are  incitements  to  fear.  They  arrived  some- 
what breathless. 

There  were  no  pictures  in  the  primary  room  at  which 
the  children  who  came  early  might  look.  There  were  no 
handwork  supplies  to  distribute  or  other  preparations  to 
make  for  the  approaching  session.  There  was  nothing  for 
these  children  to  do  after  they  had  greeted  the  superintend- 
ent, had  reported  to  the  secretary,  and  had  deposited  their 
offering  in  the  basket;  so  they  found  occupations  of  their 
own  choosing.  On  this  particular  Sunday  they  raced  each 
other  around  the  chairs  in  the  adjoining  room  or  amused 
themselves  by  removing  the  hymn  books  from  the  racks, 
opening  them  to  the  center,  then  snapping  them  shut  with 
terrific  force  and  much  noise.  Their  play  was  poor  prepa- 
ration for  a  service  of  worship. 

In  striking  contrast  to  this  primary  room  is  another  in 
a  small  chapel  in  a  suburban  district.  The  approach  to  the 
chapel  is  up  a  winding  path  between  well-kept  lawns.  A 
wide  door  gives  entrance  into  a  small  square  hall  with 
plenty  of  light.  The  floor  of  this  hall  is  tiled.  The  wood- 
work is  polished  oak.     The  walls  are  tinted  a  light  buff. 

The  children  may  race  to  the  chapel,  they  may  play  all 
the  way  to  the  door,  as  children  will  even  on  Sunday;  but 
at  the  door  a  marked  change  is  to  be  noticed  in  their  be- 
havior. They  cease  from  play.  The  boys  remove  their 
hats,  and  boys  and  girls  pass  into  the  primary  room  at  the 
right  of  the  hall  quietly  and  with  a  dignity  of  manner 
that  is  admirable.     Such  manner  does  not  proceed  from 


A  PRIMARY  ROOM  AND  ITS  EQUIPMENT        117 

instruction  alone,  for  even  the  most  thoughtful  children 
will  at  times  forget  to  do  as  they  have  been  told.  There 
is  little  doubt  that  the  children  act  unconsciously,  and  that 
their  conduct  is  a  natural  response  to  feelings  aroused  by 
the  dignity  of  the  building  and  by  its  beautiful  interior. 

The  chapel  is  the  place  where  the  children  meet  on  God's 
day,  where  their  love  for  him  is  stirred,  and  where  they 
express  their  love,  gratitude,  and  dependence  in  song  and 
in  prayer.  These  associations  deepen  the  children's  feel- 
ing of  reverence  for  their  Sunday  school,  and  since  other 
children  who  have  not  these  associations  with  the  building 
have  shown  reverence  upon  coming  into  it,  one  cannot  but 
conclude  that  the  building  has  much  to  do  in  calling  forth 
this  feeling  in  the  children  who  attend  Sunday  school 
there. 

It  is  said,  "To  develop  a  spirit  of  reverence  is  to  develop 
a  capacity  for  religion."  If  the  Sunday-school  surround- 
ings can  aid  in  doing  this,  it  follows  that  the  room  in 
which  sensitive,  impressionable,  and  responsive  children 
meet  for  religious  instruction  and  worship  is  of  great  im- 
portance and  should  receive  consideration.  If  it  does  not 
measure  up  to  requirements,  it  should  be  remodeled;  and 
in  these  days  it  is  astonishing  what  can  be  accomplished 
where  there  is  the  understanding  and  determination  to 
provide  for  the  children  the  equipment  and  surroundings 
that  are  desirable. 

3.  A  remodeled  primary  room.  The  room  has  been 
remodeled  from  one  of  the  old  type — that  is,  one  that  was 
separated  from  other  rooms  by  glass  partitions.  Sound- 
proof partitions  have  been  substituted  for  the  glass.  The 
doors  open  not  into  other  rooms  but  into  a  hall  with  wide 
stairs  having  low  and  easy  lifts,  for  in  this  building  the 
beginners'  and  primary  rooms  are  on  the  second  floor  above 
the  entrance  hall  and  the  junior  room.  It  w^as  only  by 
placing  these  rooms  on  the  second  floor  that  large,  light, 
and  airy  rooms  could  be  had. 

The   woodwork    is    Mission;    it    is    without   unnecessary 


118  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

moldings  to  catch  and  hold  the  dust  and  has  been  stained 
a  warm  brown.  The  windows  on  two  sides  of  the  room 
have  clear  glass  and  good  shades.  Across  the  back  is  a 
large  cupboard  for  supplies.  With  its  glass  doors  and  good 
lines  it  resembles  a  built-in  bookcase.  The  room  is  equipped 
with  a  good  piano,  a  blackboard,  a  table  for  the  superin- 
tendent's Bible,  songbooks,  and  other  equipment,  and  class 
tables  stained  the  color  of  the  woodwork,  each  table  ac- 
commodating from  six  to  eight  pupils.  There  are  also 
chairs  of  different  heights,  so  that  children  who  are  taller 
and  those  who  are  shorter  may  sit  in  correct  positions  and 
be  comfortable.  Children  should  sit  easily  erect  and  with 
their  feet  resting  upon  the  floor.  Chairs  might  seem  to  be 
a  minor  consideration,  but  they  are  not;  for  incorrect  and 
uncomfortable  positions  make  for  disorder,  inattention,  and 
irritability.  It  is  most  desirable  that  both  children  and 
teachers  should  remove  cloaks  and  hats  before  the  class 
session.  In  this  way  greater  physical  comfort  is  assured, 
and  fussing  and  restlessness  are  done  away  with.  Unfor- 
tunately, the  room  being  described  has  not  a  cloakroom. 
But  a  place  for  the  children's  outdoor  garments  is  provided 
by  means  of  a  shelf  about  a  foot  wide  and  about  four  feet 
from  the  floor,  extending  along  the  side  of  the  wall  nearest 
the  door  leading  into  the  halls.  Under  the  shelf  are  two 
rows  of  hooks,  and  from  the  edge  of  the  shelf  a  brown 
denim  curtain  has  been  hung,  that  the  children's  hats  and 
coats  may  not  be  in  evidence  during  the  class  session. 

The  floor  of  the  room  is  of  hard  wood  and  is  uncarpeted. 
A  large  grass-matting  rug  in  shades  of  brown  or  two  or 
three  smaller  rugs  would  give  an  effect  of  finish  and  com- 
fort, and  some  time  will  be  purchased;  but  at  present  the 
floor  is  shellacked  and  may  be  kept  clean  with  a  mop  and 
water,  which  is  a  great  improvement  over  dust-laden  car- 
pets. 

The  walls  are  white  and  there  are  no  pictures,  for  first 
things  have  had  to  come  first;  but  a  fund  is  accumulating, 
and  soon  the  walls  will  be  tinted,  and  several  good  pic- 


A  PRIMARY  ROOM  AND  ITS  EQUIPMENT        119 

tures  will  add  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  room  and  speak 
to  the  children  as  only  those  silent  teachers  can. 

4.  Influence  ot  an  orderly  room.  It  is  interesting  to 
watch  the  children  upon  their  arrival.  They  dispose  of 
their  hats  and  coats,  then  pass  to  their  chairs  and  settle 
down  for  work.  They  seem  to  recognize  that  the  room  is 
a  schoolroom — and  that  is  what  it  is;  for  it  is  complete 
in  its  detail  and  equipment  and  is  admirably  adapted  for 
instruction  and  study.  The  opportunity  offered  by  the 
children's  attitude  is  recognized,  and  there  is  something 
for  the  children  to  do  from  the  moment  they  enter  the 
room.  The  early  comers  assist  in  distributing  supplies, 
arranging  flowers,  and  performing  other  acts  of  helpfulness. 
Upon  the  arrival  of  the  teachers  memory  verses  are  re- 
cited, credits  are  recorded,  and  unfinished  handwork  is 
completed.  At  the  time  for  beginning  the  session  there 
is  quiet  music,  followed  by  the  service  of  worship. 

At  the  close  of  Sunday  school  the  children  go  into  church 
to  places  reserved  for  them.  They  do  this  so  that  they 
may  come  under  influences  similar  to  those  which  are  felt 
so  keenly  by  the  children  who  attend  Sunday  school  in 
the  chapel  that  has  been  described.  These  are  the  archi- 
tecture and  the  lights,  the  instrumental  music,  and  an  at- 
mosphere of  worship.  The  feeling  of  reverence  is  made 
acute  by  all  these  things,  by  the  act  of  uniting  with  others 
in  a  song  of  praise  and  in  prayer,  and  by  listening  to  a 
few  earnest  words  spoken  by  the  pastor.  Then  a  reces- 
sional is  sung  by  the  choir  and  congregation,  and  the 
younger  children  retire  to  go  home.  The  older  pupils  re- 
main for  the  church  service. 

Not  all  primary  rooms  lend  themselves  to  complete  re- 
modeling, but  certain  improvements  can  be  made  in  rooms 
that  are  not  all  that  they  may  be.  The  rooms  can  be  kept 
clean  and  in  order.  Floors  can  be  stained  and  shellacked 
if  they  may  not  be  tiled  or  softly  carpeted,  or  a  linoleum 
may  be  laid.  The  color  scheme  can  be  harmonious.  There 
may  be  a  place  for  supplies,  and  supplies  may  be  kept  in 


120  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

order  and  in  repair.  Ingenuity  and  originality  will  dis- 
cover some  arrangement  for  the  children's  outdoor  gar- 
ments. If  pictures  may  not  be  hung  'upon  the  walls, 
mounted  pictures  may  be  placed  each  Sunday  upon  a  screen 
to  make  a  bright  attractive  spot  where  the  children  will 
delight  to  gather. 

In  addition  to  a  clean  and  orderly  primary  room  there 
should  be  orderly  methods  of  procedure.  A  wise  leader 
calls  the  department  to  order  by  means  of  music  that  will 
induce  a  feeling  of  quietness,  a  readiness  of  m.ind,  and  a 
spirit  for  the  service  of  worship.  The  one  who  understands 
how  much  may  be  said  to  children  through  music  prepares 
them  for  their  class  work,  calls  them  to  attention,  and  dis- 
misses them,  not  with  the  ringing  of  bells  or  disturbing 
signals,  but  by  means  of  the  piano. 

"Music  can  noble  hints  impart, 


With  unsuspected  eloquence  can  move 
And  manage  all  the  man  with  secret  art." 

In  addition  to  being  an  aid  in  creating  proper  conditions 
for  teaching,  music  can  awaken  the  child's  soul  and  help 
him  to  be  reverent. 

5.  Adequate  equipment.  For  the  teachers  to  do  their 
part  well  there  must  be  an  adequate  teaching  equipment. 
This  consists  of  supplies  necessary  for  handwork — such 
as  pencils,  crayons,  paste,  and  paper  for  mounting  and 
drawing,  a  good  pencil  eraser,  and  a  pair  of  scissors  for 
each  class.  In  addition  there  should  be  pictures  for  class 
use,^  notebooks  if  they  are  required,  teachers'  class  records,^ 
and  such  general  requisites  as  class  teachers'  boxes  or 
baskets,^  teachers'  textbooks,  and  pupils'  folders  and  folder 
covers. 


1  See   "Primary   Picture   Sets,"    Numbers    1    to   3,   and   "Primary 
Missionary   Picture   Set."      Appendix    B. 

-  See  "Primary  Record  of  Credit."      Appendix  B. 
3  See  Chapter   II   for   the   use   of  these. 


A  PRIMARY  ROOM  AND  ITS  EQUIPMENT        121 

6.  Securing  needed  equipment.  The  larger  responsi- 
bility for  securing  the  proper  conditions  and  equipment  for 
teaching  and  creating  the  proper  atmosphere  is  that  of  the 
department  superintendent.  It  is  the  primary  superintend- 
ent who  must  keep  before  her  the  vision  of  the  ideal  and 
work  toward  it.  It  is  she  who  must  lead  and  inspire  the 
teachers  and  the  children.  To  obtain  results,  however, 
it  is  necessary  that  the  teachers  cooperate  and  aid  in  every 
particular. 

It  is  the  teacher's  part  to  be  instantly  obedient  to  every 
signal,  to  take  part  in  all  the  exercises,  to  be  reverent  in 
spirit  and  manner,  to  show  courtesy  to  the  superintendent 
and  to  the  children,  to  be  willing  to  accept  advice,  to  follow 
directions,  and  to  do  all  these  things  in  the  spirit  of  willing 
service  for  the  Master. 

The  cooperation  of  the  children  is  also  to  be  won.  In 
one  way  and  another  each  child  must  be  given  a  sense  of 
responsibility  in  maintaining  order,  in  participating  in  the 
worship,  and  in  the  interchange  of  kindly  deeds.  Each 
needs  to  realize  that  he  has  a  place  and  share  in  working 
for  the  good  of  the  whole,  and  that  any  failure  to  perform 
his  part  affects  others.  The  child  may  be  brought  to  this 
realization  not  so  much  by  teaching  as  by  that  subtle  some- 
thing in  the  atm.osphere  which  prevails  where  there  is 
unity  of  spirit  and  purpose  on  the  part  of  officers  and 
teachers. 

7.  The  supreme  necessity.  It  is  in  the  Primary  Depart- 
ment where  there  are  perfect  accord,  cooperation,  worship, 
fellowship,  kindly  deeds  and  words  that  the  Christ  atmos- 
phere is  most  apparent.  Such  an  atmosphere  is  a  most 
necessary  condition  for  teaching.  It  is  said,  "A  Christ 
atmosphere  is  a  mighty  power  in  bringing  men  to  Christ." 
If  it  is  such  a  power  in  bringing  men  to  the  Saviour,  what 
may  it  not  be  in  bringing  the  children?  To  bring  the 
children  to  the  Saviour  and  to  help  them  to  live  lives  of 
Christian  service  is  the  true  purpose  of  the  Primary 
Department. 


122  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  Handling  the  pictures,  liandwork  materials,  and  other 
requisites  for  teaching,  and  helping  to  care  for  these  call 
forth  a  sense  of  ownership  and  responsibility.  What,  there- 
fore, is  it  desirable  to  ask  one  or  two  or  a  class  of  the 
older  children  to  do  each  Sunday  after  the  Sunday-school 
session? 

2.  Of  what  value  will  it  be  to  the  children  to  learn  that 
the  primary  room  should  not  be  left  with  chairs  disar- 
ranged, the  floor  and  table  littered  with  paper,  pencils  and 
other  equipment  returned  to  the  supply  closet  in  poor  con- 
dition, unused  folders  tucked  anywhere  out  of  sight,  the 
used  blackboard  uncleaned;  but  that  the  room  should 
be  put  in  order  and  everything  made  ready  for  the  next 
session?  What  arrangement  would  you  make  so  that  the 
burden  of  caring  for  the  room  might  not  fall  entirely  upon 
any  one  teacher,  and  that  the  children  might  have  a  sense  of 
responsibility  for  the  room? 

3.  Describe  a  primary  room  that  you  have  seen  which 
is  inadequate  for  its  purpose.  Give  detailed  recommenda- 
tions for  its  improvement  and  state  which  you  would  carry 
out  first  if  all  the  changes  might  not  be  made  at  the 
same  time.  In  choosing  a  color  scheme  state  whether  the 
room  receives  its  light  from  north,  south,  east,  or  west, 
and  at  what  time  of  day  the  primary  class  session  is  held. 


CHAPTER  XX 
HOW  TO   MAINTAIN   INTEREST 

Ax  eight-year-old  boy,  upon  returning  from  Sunday 
school  one  Sunday,  announced  to  his  family,  "I  do  not  want 
to  miss  Sunday  school  these  days;  the  lessons  are  so  in- 
teresting." At  another  time,  in  a  different  Sunday  school, 
a  class  for  week-day  instruction  was  arranged  for  all  the 
children  of  the  Primary  Department  who  cared  to  attend. 
Between  twenty  and  thirty  children  were  present  at  the 
first  session.  At  the  close  of  the  hour  the  leader  of  the 
class  inquired  if  there  were  any  questions.  Immediately 
one  of  the  girls  rose  and  asked,  "When  do  you  want  us 
again?"  The  next  week  and  the  weeks  that  followed  she 
was  present,  and  the  attendance  on  the  part  of  the  other 
children  was  almost  as  regular. 

1.  Interest  the  vital  factor.  As  far  as  is  known  the 
children's  parents  neither  urged  nor  insisted  upon  their 
attendance.  Like  the  boy  who  did  not  want  to  miss  Sunday 
school,  the  children  were  present  because  they  found  the 
class  work  interesting  and  pleasurable.  They  had  no  idea 
that  they  were  being  instructed.  All  that  they  were  con- 
scious of  was  that  they  were  having  a  delightful  time  lis- 
tening to  stories,  dramatizing  them,  and  making  scrap- 
books  to  keep  or  to  give  away  at  Christmas.  But  by  means 
of  the  stories  the  children  were  brought  into  closer  rela- 
tion with  other  persons.  Their  sympathies  were  deepened, 
and  they  received  suggestions  for  conduct.  In  order  to 
dramatize  the  stories — for  the  manner  of  playing  them 
was  left  almost  entirely  to  the  children — they  were  obliged 
to  think  themselves  into  them.  This  gave  them  a  sense  of 
oneness  with  the  characters.    They  were  obliged  to  visualize 


124  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

conditions  and  to  appreciate  motives  in  order  to  decide 
what  to  do  and  how  to  do  it. 

In  mali:ing  the  scrapbooks  the  children  worked  to  an  idea 
or  project.  It  was  to  make  books  that  would  picture  and 
describe  things  for  which  they  were  thankful.  A  large 
number  of  pictures  of  different  subjects  were  provided,  and 
it  was  interesting  to  watch  the  children  make  their  selec- 
tions. One  boy  in  particular  decided  that  he  was  thankful 
for  food,  and  he  gave  much  study  to  his  picture,  trying 
first  one  and  then  another  on  the  page;  for  to  please  him 
it  had  to  be  not  only  the  subject  he  desired  but  nicely 
fitted  to  the  space  into  which  it  was  to  be  placed.  There 
were  children  who  drew  pictures  ajid  others  who  wrote; 
for  each  child,  as  long  as  he  kept  to  the  project,  was  left 
free  to  express  himself  in  his  own  way. 

Several  adults  who  were  present  to  observe  the  class 
work  remarked  with  something  of  surprise  that  the  chil- 
dren were  so  well-behaved.  There  were  no  irregularities 
of  conduct  and  no  need  for  discipline.  The  children  were 
so  interested  in  their  undertaking  and  were  so  concentrated 
upon  it  that  they  had  no  thought  or  time  for  mischief  or 
wrongdoing. 

2.  Hoxr  interest  may  be  maintained.  Not  all  the  chil- 
dren showed  the  same  eagerness,  originality,  or  skill.  Some 
worked  slowly  and  thoughtfully,  and  others  with  a  dash 
and  less  thought;  but  on  the  part  of  all  there  was  atten- 
tion to  that  which  was  being  done,  as  well  as  satisfaction 
in  the  results.  Herein  lies  the  secret  of  maintaining  inter- 
est in  the  Primary  Department.  A  false,  emotional  inter- 
est may  be  created  by  contests,  prizes,  tickets  for  attend- 
ance, and  other  bribes.  But  such  have  no  lasting  effect. 
Readers  of  the  chronicles  of  Emmy  Lou '  will  recall  how  she 
attended  church  fifty-two   Sundays  in  succession,  listened 


1  Emmy  Lou's  Road  to  Grace,  George  Madden  Martin  :  Chapter 
VII,  "Pink  Tickets  for  Texts."  See  also  Emmy  Lou:  Her  Book  and 
Heart.  The  two  books  have  been  written  to  show  how,  in  a  child's 
contact  with  life  in  the  home.  Sunday  school,  and  pulilic  school, 
there  are  many  conditions  that  make  for  confusion  in  the  child's 
mind  and  affect  his  development  of  character. 


HOW  TO  MAINTAIN  INTEREST  125 

to  fifty-two  sermons  that  she  did  not  understand,  and 
learned  and  recited  fifty-two  Golden  Texts  in  order  to 
receive  a  prize.  On  the  fifty-third  Sunday  she  was  given 
a  book  of  sermons  by  her  pastor,  whereupon  she  wept  long 
and  bitterly,  then  proceeded  home  after  Sunday  school  in- 
stead of  going  to  church  and  lost  all  interest  in  texts. 
Albert  Eddie  Dawkins,  Emmy  Lou's  friend  and  neighbor, 
who  also  acquired  a  book  of  sermons,  went  on  his  fifty- 
third  Sunday  to  the  woods  in  search  of  honey  locusts. 

False  incentives  are  unworthy  of  the  child;  his  enthu- 
siastic cooperation  is  to  be  won  only  by  the  right  teaching 
situations.  These  include  proper  equipment  and  instruction 
suited  to  the  child's  development  and  needs,  given  in  a  way 
to  lead  him  to  be  self-active  with  regard  to  what  is  pre- 
sented to  him. 

The  methods  used  should  quicken  the  child's  observation, 
lead  him  to  take  the  initiative  and  develop  his  will  power. 
Once  we  seated  children  in  formal  rows  before  us  and 
gave  instruction  from  the  platform  or  desk.  The  teacher 
told  the  story  and  gave  the  explanations,  for  it  was  she 
who  did  all  or  the  larger  part  of  the  talking;  it  was  she 
who  drew  the  pictures  upon  the  blackboard  or  constructed 
them  upon  a  sand  table;  it  was  she  who  did  whatever  writ- 
ing was  required.  The  children's  part  was  to  listen  and 
observe. 

To-day  the  children  of  the  Primary  Department  sit  in 
small  groups  or  classes  around  tables.  A  class  teacher  is 
in  charge  of  each  group,  but  it  is  now  thQ  teacher's  part 
to  do  nothing  for  the  children  which  they  may  do  for 
themselves.  Children  are  encouraged  to  ask  questions  and 
to  talk  with  the  teacher  and  among  themselves  about  the 
lesson  and  its  relation  to  their  daily  problems  and  duties. 
If  there  are  explanations  or  descriptions  they  may  give, 
the  children  give  them  and  not  the  teacher.^  They  are 
given     the     opportunity     for     telling     what     they     would 


2  See  Chapter  II  and  the  use  made  by  the  teacher  of  the  lesson 
picture. 


126  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

like  to  do  to  express  the  lesson;  and  as  far  as  possi- 
ble each  child  is  permitted  to  carry  out  his  own  idea. 
The  teacher  observes  and  listens,  giving  suggestions  when 
appealed  to  and  direction  only  when  it  is  required,  for  the 
most  important  factor  in  the  learning  process  is  self-activ- 
ity. It  is  when  the  child  gives  attention  to  that  which  is 
presented  to  him,  concentrates  upon  it,  and  exercises  initia- 
tive, originality,  and  judgment  in  relating  it  to  himself 
and  his  conduct  that  he  most  truly  learns. 

Similarly,  in  the  service  of  worship  in  the  Primary  De- 
partment the  children  not  only  listen  but  take  an  active 
part.  There  are  opportunities  for  the  children  to  choose 
songs,  to  suggest  the  subjects  for  prayer,  and  to  frame  the 
prayers.  In  this  way  the  worship  becomes  an  expression 
of  the  child's  own  religious  feelings  and  experiences  and 
at  the  same  time  gives  him  the  training  in  worship  which 
he  needs. 

3.  An  example  of  interest.  In  a  certain  Primary  De- 
partment on  a  Sunday  preceding  Thanksgiving  the  chil- 
dren had  been  thinking  and  talking  about  God's  good  gifts, 
his  love  and  care,  and  ways  in  which  children  might  show 
love  and  gratitude  to  him.  The  signal,  quiet  music  on  the 
piano,  had  been  given  for  the  assembling  of  the  classes; 
and  teachers  and  pupils  sat  facing  the  leader,  the  primary 
superintendent. 

"Sunday  school  is  almost  over,"  the  latter  explained, 
"but  before  we  go  to  our  homes  let  us  speak  to  God  to- 
gether. I  want  the  prayer  to  be  your  prayer.  Tell  me 
how  you  would  like  to  begin  it  and  what  you  would  like 
to  say." 

One  child  rose  and  said,  "Let  us  begin  with  the  words 
'Our  Father.'  " 

Another  said,  "I  would  like  to  say,  'Our  Father  who  art 
in  heaven.' "  And  this  salutation  was  written  on  the 
board. 

Then  first  one  child  and  another  gave  a  clause  or  sen- 
tence.    The  prayer  was  formulated  without  the  assistance 


HOW  TO  MAINTAIN  INTEREST  127 

of  the  superintendent.  Then  teachers  and  children  read 
it  aloud  with  reverence  and  deep  feeling.  It  was  as  fol- 
lows: 

"Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven,  we  thank  thee  for  all 
thy  blessings,  the  Bible,  our  Sunday  school,  our  homes,  our 
food.  We  thank  thee  for  people  and  for  our  fathers  and 
mothers,  sisters  and  brothers.    Amen." 

Appropriate  prayers  may  be  used  for  several  Sundays 
or  may  be  kept  for  occasional  use.  Those  for  other  than 
opening  and  closing  services — for  example,  the  birthday 
and  offering — may  be  prepared  by  the  children  instead  of 
for  them.  It  is  desirable  for  the  children  to  unite  in  re- 
peating a  prayer  and  for  the  superintendent  or  teacher 
directing  the  worship  to  lead.  For  use  at  home  the  chil- 
dren should  be  encouraged  to  write  or  mount  copies  of  the 
prayers  in  their  notebooks. 

In  the  Primary  Department  where  the  children,  under 
proper  guidance,  take  the  initiative  they  have  no  time  for 
mischief;  moreover,  they  quickly  learn  that  if  they  waste 
time  they  forfeit  much  that  is  pleasurable.  Orderly  ways 
of  doing  and  of  thinking  and  a  reverent  manner  may  be 
cultivated  through  regulative  and  formative  methods  of 
procedure. 

4.  Aids  to  interest.  Other  aids  in  maintaining  inter- 
est are  special  days,  or  occasions  such  as  Thanksgiving, 
Christmas,  Easter,  Children's  Day,  Promotion  Day,  national 
holidays,  and  the  children's  birthdays.  These  are  the  times 
when  the  children  may  be  brought  together  for  cooperative 
play  at  parties  or  socials  and  for  cooperative  service  for 
the  church  and  community;  they  may  be  made  happy  by 
postcards  and  letters  and  by  surprises  of  various  kinds. 
One  of  the  values  of  such  special  celebrations  is  that  the 
children  learn  to  look  to  the  church  and  Sunday  school 
for  their  pleasure  instead  of  to  outside  agencies;  another 
is  in  leading  children,  with  their  different  training  and  in- 
terests, to  work  together  for  the  welfare  and  happiness  of 
others. 


128  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

The  ways  of  celebrating  these  special  occasions  are  so 
various  that  teachers  must  look  to  current  magazines,  to 
programs  offered  by  denominational  publishing  houses,  to 
books  describing  children's  plays  and  games,  to  storybooks, 
to  books  and  magazines  giving  pantomimes  and  pageants 
and  suggestions  for  construction  work  and  occupations. 
Books  of  this  nature  are  to  be  found  in  most  public  libra- 
ries. The  Primary  Department  budget  should  make  possi- 
ble the  buying  of  one  good  book  each  year  and  include  the 
subscription  price  to  a  high-class  magazine  of  Christian 
education.  There  should  be  a  fund  for  birthday  cards, 
materials  and  supplies  for  the  children's  socials,  and  other 
aids  to  maintaining  the  interest  that  is  essential  to  suc- 
cessful teaching  in  the  Primary  Department. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  Begin  a  primary  scrapbook.  It  is  advisable  for  it  to 
be  a  looseleaf  one,  so  that  additions  and  eliminations  may 
be  made.  Send  to  your  denominational  publishing  house 
for  samples  and  price  lists  of  the  primary  teachers'  and  pu- 
pils' lesson  helps  and  for  a  catalogue  of  primary  equip- 
ment and  supplies.  If  the  samples  can  be  mounted,  mount 
each  one  upon  a  page  by  itself,  and  beneath  or  beside  it 
write  its  price,  stating  whether  or  not  the  price  includes 
postage  or  express. 

If  the  samples  cannot  be  mounted,  and  a  picture  of  the 
textbook,  pupils'  folder,  or  birthday  card  is  not  available, 
make  notes  of  these  different  things  and  add  whatever 
description  is  necessary  and  the  price.  Proceed  in  a  similar 
way  with  other  requisites  until  you  have  made  a  primary- 
equipment  book.  Leave  pages  for  the  addition  of  new  sam- 
ples of  supplies  or  literature  describing  them. 

2.  With  the  primary  equipment  book  as  a  guide  make  up 
a  primary  budget  for  one  year.  State  the  number  of 
teachers'  textbooks,  the  number  of  picture  sets,  and  the 
number  of  pupils'  helps  that  will  be  required  for  the  first-, 
second-,  and  third-year  classes,  and  give  their  cost.     Esti- 


HOW  TO  MAINTAIN  INTEREST  12ft 

mate  your  handwork  equipment,  find  out  how  many  birth- 
day cards  you  will  require  during  the  year,  and  estimate 
the  cost.  Estimate  the  cost  of  such  added  supplies  as  you 
may  need,  the  expense  attached  to  the  giving  of  socials; 
to  purchasing  materials  for  constructive  work,  promotion 
certificates  and  diplomas,  and  all  the  requisites  of  a  well- 
conducted  Primary  Department.^ 

3.  To  continue  the  study  begin  a  scrapbook  of  ideas  for 
special  days  and  occasions.  Write  and  decorate  an  at- 
tractive invitation  to  a  children's  party  or  social,  outline 
the  games  you  would  play,  and  give  the  title  of  the  story 
you  would  tell. 

Suggest  some  act  of  helpfulness  or  service  to  the  com- 
munity which  might  be  rendered  by  the  older  primary  pu- 
pils in  cooperation. 

Leave  pages  for  patterns  for  invitations,  calendars,  book 
covers,  cut-out  toys,  and  other  things  that  primary  children 
may  make.  Leave  pages  for  new  programs  for  special 
days  and  occasions. 


See  Appendix  B. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
PROMOTIONS  AND  PROMOTION  REQUIREMENTS 

In  preceding  lessons  statements  have  been  made  in  ex- 
planation of  the  results  at  which  the  Primary  Department 
aims,  and  which  it  seeks  to  accomplish  by  its  instruction, 
activities,  and  worship.  These  imply  that  when  a  child 
is  promoted  from  the  Primary  Department,  it  is  desirable 
that  he  shall  have  started  to  form  right  habits  of  feeling, 
thinking,  speaking,  and  conduct,  all  of  which  are  funda- 
mentals of  Christian  character. 

1,  The  teacher  and  promotion.  Promotion  require- 
ments are  for  the  teacher  before  they  are  for  the  pupil. 
Habits  the  child  should  form  cannot  be  required  of  him, 
nor  should  he  be  made  to  remain  in  the  Primary  Depart- 
ment until  he  manifests  them.  Hence,  they  should  be 
regarded  not  as  promotion  requirements  for  the  pupil  but 
for  the  teacher,  in  that  her  effort  should  be  to  get  these 
habits  started  and  to  strengthen  them  by  means  of  all  the 
agencies  and  influences  at  her  command. 

The  teacher  should  give  aid  when  the  home  fails.  The 
value  to  the  child  of  having  an  appropriate  Bible  verse 
associated  with  a  Bible  story  has  been  explained.'  The 
child  should  learn  his  memory  verse.  Usually,  the  memo- 
rization of  a  verse  is  begun  in  the  lesson  period  at  Sunday 
school  but  is  not  perfected.  That  he  may  form  the  habit 
of  Bible  study  the  child  is  asked  to  learn  it  at  home  after 
the  lesson  story  has  been  read  to  him  or  after  he  has  read 
it  for  himself.  The  child  who  cannot  read  requires  assist- 
ance. If  he  is  to  do  any  home  work,  the  cooperation  of  the 
home  is  necessary.  Failing  in  this,  the  teacher  should  give 
additional  time  to  the  child  at  Sunday  school  and  help  him 


See  Chapter  VIII,  page  59. 

130 


PROMOTION  REQUIREMENTS  131 

learn  the  memory  verses.  As  soon  as  he  has  the  ability  to 
read — and  this  may  be  expected  the  last  half  of  the  seventh 
year  or  some  time  in  his  eighth  year — he  may  be  made  to 
feel  that  he  can  do  his  home  work  unaided.  He  is  apt  to 
forget  it  because  the  habit  of  home  study  is  not  fixed;  he 
therefore  needs  frequent  reminders  of  what  to  do. 

It  is  important  for  the  child  to  do  each  week's  work  as 
it  is  assigned.  Each  week  the  teacher  should  make  clear 
to  the  child  what  his  home  work  is  and  should  arouse  such 
interest  in  it  that  he  will  be  eager  to  undertake  it.  Sun- 
day by  Sunday,  as  a  part  of  the  lesson  review,  she  should 
ascertain  by  questions,  conversation,  story-telling  exercises, 
and  recitations  whether  or  not  he  did  his  work  during  the 
week.  He  should  be  helped  to  find  pleasure  in  the  result — 
that  is,  in  his  ability  to  do  the  work"  and  in  its  successful 
accomplishment.  It  has  been  said:  "Rewards  and  high 
marks  are  at  best  artificial  aims  to  strive  for;  they  accus- 
tom children  to  expect  to  get  something  besides  the  value 
of  the  product  for  work  they  do.  .  .  .  Success  gives  a  glow 
of  positive  achievement;  artificial  inducements  to  work  are 
no  longer  necessary;  and  the  child  learns  to  work  from 
love  of  the  work  itself,  not  for  a  reward  or  because  he  is 
afraid  of  punishment."- 

A  young  child's  efforts  will  be  spasmodic  because  there 
are  occasions  when  duty  of  any  kind  is  irksome,  and  inter- 
est flags.  If  the  teacher  is  watchful  and  sympathetic,  she 
will  follow  some  new  method  at  these  times,  make  use  of 
attractive  devices,  prepare  a  pleasing  surprise,  make  a 
fresh  appeal.  Then  the  child  will  of  his  own  accord  resume 
his  home  study.  Another  reason  why  he  should  do  this  is 
that  he  may  learn  not  to  evade  duty  but  to  fulfill  it. 

Lesson  assignments  should  be  made  in  accordance  with 
the  child's  ability.  Besides  the  memory  verses  there  are 
other  longer  Bible  passages,  certain  hymns,  and  prayers 
that  a  child  is  capable  of  learning  in  the  three  years  spent 
in  the  Primary  Department.     These  are   associated   with 


^Schools  of  To-Morrow,  Dewey. 


132  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

Bible  stories  that  exemplify  and  vitalize  them,  or  which 
they  illustrate  or  illumine,  and  are  called  correlated  les- 
sons. For  example:  Psalm  23  is  memorized  at  a  time 
when  stories  about  David  are  being  told,  and  the  Lord's 
Prayer  is  learned  after  the  story  "Jesus  Teaching  His  Dis- 
ciples to  Pray."  Psalm  23  and  the  Lord's  Prayer  are  cor- 
related lessons. 

The  learning  of  Bible  verses  is  not  required  in  the  Be- 
ginners' Department;  the  week-by-week  memorization  of 
a  Bible  verse  is  something  new  and  sometimes  diflBcult  for 
the  first-year  pupil  in  the  Primary  Department.  For  this 
reason  the  memory  verses  of  the  first-year  course  of  study, 
together  with  a  Christmas  carol  or  hymn  and  a  few  other 
songs,  constitute  the  first-year  memory  work. 

In  his  second  year  in  the  department  a  pupil  is  capable 
of  learning  two  or  more  hymns,  the  memory  verses  of  his 
course  of  study,  and  two  or  more  longer  Bible  passages. 
The  greater  number  of  the  correlated  lessons  should  be 
left  for  the  third  and  last  primary  year. 

The  memorization  that  most  pupils  can  accomplish  dur- 
ing the  three  primary  years  is  as  follows: 

Year  One: 

The  memory  verses  of  the  first  year  course  of  study,  or 
as  many  of  these  verses  as  the  pupil  can  learn  without 
strain. 

Song:  Van  a  Little  Child  Like  Me? 

Hymn:   LutJier's  Cradle  Hymn   (Away  in  a  Manger). 
Additional  memory  work  for  the  more  rapid  pupils: 

Songs:  Little  Laml)s  So  White  and  Fair;  God's  Work 
(All  things  bright  and  beautiful). 

A  prayer  for  the  pupil's  use  at  home. 

Year  Two: 

The  memory  verses  of  the  second  year  course  of  study. 

Psalm  100. 

Luke  2:  8-14. 

Selected  commandments. 


PROMOTION  REQUIREMENTS  133 

Songs:  Little  Town  of  Bethlehem;  The  Sweet  Story,- 
(I  think  when  I  read  that  sweet  story  of  old) ;  Jesus  Loves 
Me. 

A  morning  and  evening  prayer. 

A  grace  to  say  at  meals. 
Additional  memory  work  for  the  more  rapid  pupils. 

Psalms  46:  1;  62:8a;  Job  14:  2,  3;  selected  Psalm  verses 
about  the  sea,  day  and  night,  seedtime  and  harvest. 

Songs:  Jesus,  Friend  of  Little  Children;  A  Song  of 
Service  (To  give,  to  love,  to  serve,  to  do).  Father,  Lead 
me  Day  ty  Bay, 

A  Temperance  Song.  (We  have  a  part  in  God's  great 
plan). 

Year  Three: 

The  memory  verses  of  the  third  year  course  of  study. 

Psalm  23. 

Psalm  100  in  review. 

Luke  2:  8-14  in  review. 

The  Lord's  Prayer. 

Mark  16:  1-7. 

Songs:  0  Come,  All  Ye  Faithful;  Love's  Lesson  (Savior^ 
teach  me  Day  by  Day). 

A  morning  and  evening  prayer. 

A  grace  to  say  at  meals. 
Additional  memory  work  for  the  more  rapid  pupils. 

Matthew  2:  1-12. 

Luke  10:  25-27. 

Proverbs  3:5,   6. 

Selected  Bible  verses  with  a  temperance  application. 

Song:  Lord,  Who  Lovest  Little  Children. 

Children  differ  from  one  another  in  ability.  At  one  time, 
and  not  so  many  years  ago,  this  memory  work  would  have 
been  required  for  promotion.  It  would  not  have  been  con- 
sidered just  to  give  a  diploma  to  a  pupil  who  had  not  given 
a  creditable  recitation  of  the  greater  part,  if  not  all  of  it. 
To-day  it  is  recognized  that  children  differ  from  one  an- 


134  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

other  in  their  ability  to  memorize,  and  that  there  are  other 
individual  differences.  One  child  grasps  the  incidents  in  a 
story  and  is  able  to  retell  it  after  hearing  it  once;  another 
child  fails  miserably  every  time  he  is  asked  to  retell  a 
story.  One  child  excels  in  handwork;  another  is  slow  and 
awkward  and  cannot  express  himself  in  drawing,  writing, 
or  any  kind  of  manual  work.  This  means  that  each  pupil 
should  be  permitted  to  do  what  he  has  the  ability  to  do  and 
to  have  the  pleasure  that  comes  from  achievement.  At 
the  same  time  he  should  be  encouraged  and  helped  to  un- 
dertake the  difficult  or  unpleasant  task  and  to  succeed  in 
it  as  far  as  he  is  able.  A  pupil  should  not  be  permitted  to 
say,  "I  cannot  do  this,"  and  to  give  up  trying;  he  should 
realize  that  he  is  expected  to  do  his  best  because  it  is  some- 
thing that  he  needs  to  do  and  to  learn,  and  he  should  be 
commended  for  the  effort  he  makes  if  he  is  not  wholly 
successful  in  the  result. 

2.  Pupil  requirements.  There  are  promotion  require- 
ments for  the  pupil.  The  fitness  of  the  pupil  for  promotion 
from  grade  to  grade  within  the  Primary  Department  and 
from  the  Primary  to  the  Junior  should  not  depend  on  his 
ability  to  recite  all  the  memory  verses  that  are  desirable 
for  him  to  know  or  all  the  correlated  lessons.  The  deter- 
mining factor  should  be  the  pupil  himself,  his  need  of  the 
experience,  instruction,  and  training  of  the  next  grade,  and 
his  ability  to  pursue  the  studies  and  to  make  response. 

If  he  is  ready  for  the  lessons  of  the  next  grade,  if  he 
needs  them,  he  should  be  promoted  and  given  a  certificate 
of  promotion.  There  are  reasons  why  one  child  excels  in 
doing  one  thing,  and  another  child  something  else.  Chil- 
dren of  primary  age  are  too  young  to  understand  these 
reasons  and  to  overcome  obstacles  that  may  be  hindering 
them  from  making  progress  in  their  studies.  They  should 
not  be  made  to  suffer  for  what  they  may  not  be  able  to 
help;  therefore  the  children  to  be  promoted  should  be 
treated  alike,   and  all   should  receive  certificates. 

It  is  equally  desirable  that  the  children  who  have  been 


PROMOTION  REQUIREMENTS  135 

faithful  and  have  made  effort  when  others  have  not  should 
receive  the  encouragement  of  special  recognition.  The  cer- 
tificates and  diplomas  should  provide  for  this.  Seals  or 
stars  may  be  used  to  indicate  each  pupil's  standing — that 
is,  the  work  he  has  done  through  the  year — or  seals  may 
be  attached  to  the  ribbon  with  which  his  diploma  is  tied. 
The  newer  forms  of  diploma  carry  a  statement  to  the 
effect  that  the  pupil  therein  named  is  promoted  to  the 
next  grade  and  have  space  for  assigning  honors  for  memory 
verses,  story-telling,  home  work,  correlated  lessons,  and 
handwork. 

From  our  present  understanding  of  the  nature,  needs, 
and  abilities  of  the  primary  child  it  would  seem  as  if  the 
requirement  for  teachers  and  pupils  alike  should  be  the 
regular  and  conscientious  performance  of  each  week's  task. 
These  tasks  may  need  to  vary;  but  so  far  as 'possible,  each 
week  the  memory  verse  or  verses  should  be  learned  by  the 
pupil.  The  correlated  lessons  should  be  memorized  as  they 
occur  in  the  course.  Memorizing  should  never  be  left  to 
the  end  of  the  year  or  to  just  before  promotion  to  the  Junior 
Department.  If  the  memory  work  is  done  when  it  should 
be  done,  if  it  is  reviewed  from  time  to  time  and  made  use 
of  in  the  diffei^nt  services  and  exercises  of  the  depart- 
ment, there  will  be  no  need  for  examinations,  tests,  or 
cramming  for  promotion.  The  pupils  will  then  be  ready 
for  promotion  and  able  to  do  the  work  of  the  next  year 
or  grade  with  understanding  and  appreciation. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  Read  the  memory  work  for  the  three  years. 

2.  Select  or  prepare  a  morning  and  evening  prayer  for 
a  child  and  a  grace  for  a  child  to  say  at  meals. 

3.  Ascertain  what  the  promotion  requirements  are  in  the 
schools  of  your  neighborhood.  Compare  them  with  the  prin- 
ciples in  this  chapter,  and  if  compelled  to  criticise  adversely, 
state  your  reasons  clearly. 


CHAPTER  XXII 
THE  PRIMARY  DEPARTMENT  AND  THE  HOME 

In  most  Sunday  schools  where  the  graded  lessons  are  in 
use  the  annual  Promotion  Day  is  the  last  Sunday  in  Sep- 
tember. This  practice  makes  it  possible  for  the  work  of 
the  new  year  to  begin  with  the  first  Sunday  in  October. 
(The  graded  lessons  start  in  October.) 

1.  Axirakening  interest  in  liome  w^ork.  On  the  two 
or  three  Sundays  that  had  intervened  since  Promotion  Day 
a  certain  third-year  teacher  had  assigned  the  home  work 
but  had  not  urged  it.  She  hoped  that  her  pupils  would 
undertake  it  because  it  had  become  habitual  to  them  to 
read  the  lesson  story  at  home  and  to  learn  the  memory 
verse  each  week.  But  for  the  two  or  three  Sundays  that 
the  pupils  had  been  in  her  class  they  had  not  known  the 
memory  verse.  The  teacher  suspected  that  they  had  made 
no  use  of  the  story  in  the  folder.^  She  knew  what  needed 
to  be  done.  She  realized  that  when  there  is  a  task  to  be 
accomplished  and  it  is  not  too  difficult  for  the  child,  his 
interest  and  his  zest  for  it  are  to  be  aroused.  In  bringing 
the  day's  lesson  to  a  close  she  suggested  to  the  children  that 
since  they  were  older  and  more  capable  than  they  were  the 
year  before  there  would  be  more  interesting  things  for 
them  to  do.  She  referred  to  the  handwork  and  to  some  of 
the  activities  that  they  would  undertake   as  a  class   and 


1  In  the  Primary  Department  the  pupils  never  prepare  the  new 
story  or  lesson  for  recitation.  The  home  study  is  upon  a  lesson 
after  it  has  been  taught  by  the  teacher.  The  story  read  at  home 
l)y  the  pupil  should  always  be  the  one  that  has  been  told  by  the 
teacher.  It  is  important  for  the  elements  of  newness  and  surprise 
to  enter  into  the  teaching  situation.  If  they  do  not,  if  the  child 
knows  the  stor.v  the  teacher  is  telling,  his  interest  is  not  keen, 
and  his  attention  wanders.  It  is  important  for  the  teacher  to  teach 
the  lesson  first  before  it  is  studied  by  the  child,  that  he  may  get 
from  it  the  truth  intended  for  him. 

136 


THE  DEPARTMENT  AND  THE  HOME  137 

then  explained  the  home  work.  Instantly  the  children  be- 
came like  the  guests  bidden  to  the  feast  in  the  parable: 
with  one  accord  they  began  to  make  excuse.  One  was 
obliged  to  deliver  papers  for  her  brother  one  or  two  after- 
noons a  week;  another  had  a  baby  sister  at  home  to  whom 
she  gave  her  undivided  attention  each  day  after  school;  a 
third  went  regularly  each  afternoon  to  the  store  for  her 
mother;  the  others  had  most  pressing  duties,  which  they 
urged  as  reasons  for  not  giving  time  to  study.  Study  was 
irksome  to  them. 

The  teacher  was  sympathetic  but  unyielding.  She  told 
them  she  knew  that  they  had  many  things  to  do  at  home 
to  show  love  for  mother,  and  was  glad  that  they  were  such 
helpful  children.  She  explained  that  it  was  partly  because 
they  were  so  busy  that  there  was  so  little  studying  to  be 
done.  She  referred  to  the  reading  of  the  story  as  some- 
thing they  would  want  to  do  because  it  was  so  interesting. 
She  proposed  different  times  for  reading  it — Sunday  after- 
noon, Sunday  evening,  or  some  time  during  the  week.  Next 
she  asked  them  to  turn  to  the  memory  verse  and  read  it 
aloud.  She  commented  on  the  shortness  of  time  the  read- 
ing required  and  explained  that  it  would  take  only  that 
much  time  each  day  to  read  the  memory  verse  once.  She 
asked  who  had  a  drawer  in  a  bureau  or  had  a  table  beside 
the  bed  where  the  story  folders  might  be  kept.  There 
was  quick  response  to  the  appeal  to  the  sense  of  ownership, 
and  the  children  began  to  plan  where  to  keep  the  folders 
and  to  read  the  memory  verse  each  evening  before  they 
said  their  evening  prayer.  The  thought  was  given  that 
to  do  this  would  be  like  reading  in  the  Bible.  Finally  the 
girls  went  home  enthusiastic  about  taking  upon  themselves 
the   duty   of   home   study. 

2.  Enlisting  home  cooperation.  It  is  important  for 
the  Primary  Department  to  enlist  the  cooperation  of  the 
home.  The  children  who  were  given  encouragement  in  the 
home,  whose  parents  asked  to  have  the  lesson  story  read 
to  them  and  inquired  whether  or  not  the  memory  verse 


138  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

was  being  read  each  evening,  were  those  who  found  it  the 
easiest  to  form  the  home-study  habit.  It  was  much  more 
difficult  for  the  children  whose  parents  were  unsympa- 
thetic or  indifferent.^  Further  confirmation  of  the  need  of 
home  cooperation  is  to  be  found  in  the  right  acts  at  home, 
at  school,  and  at  play,  to  which  so  many  of  the  lessons  aim 
to  inspire  the  child. 

The  child  spends  only  one  hour  a  week  in  Sunday  school; 
it  is  outside  of  Sunday  school  that  he  expresses  his  lessons 
in  conduct.  He  goes  home  from  Sunday  school  with  a  pur- 
pose to  help,  to  be  kind,  to  be  patient,  to  be  obedient,  and 
to  begin  and  end  the  day  with  prayer.  Whether  or  not  he 
does  these  things  depends  largely  on  the  home.  Many  a 
child  who  offers  assistance  is  told  that  he  is  more  bother- 
some than  helpful.  It  is  not  unusual  for  a  contrary  spirit 
to  be  aroused  by  uneven  and  unjust  discipline.  One  day 
he  is  reprimanded  for  a  bit  of  mischief  that  was  found 
amusing  the  day  before,  or  his  intentions  are  misunder- 
stood, and  he  is  called  a  bad  boy  when  he  was  trying  to  be 
good.  Sometimes  parents  permit  a  child  who  kneels  in 
prayer  to  be  ridiculed.  What  will  the  child  do  who  has 
these  difficulties  to  contend  with?  If  he  has  a  sturdy  spirit, 
has  a  deep  and  sincere  desire  to  do  what  is  pleasing  to 
God  and  a  strong  will,  he  may  persevere  and  carry  out  his 
intentions.  It  is  much  more  probable  that  he  will  abandon 
them. 

Frequently  there  are  reasons  for  a  lack  of  home  coopera- 
tion. Parents  are  thoughtless  or  they  do  not  understand 
what  the  child  wants  to  do  and  is  trying  in  an  imperfect 
way  to  accomplish.  They  do  not  realize  that  he  is  acting 
in  response  to  desires  and  impulses  called  forth  by  the 
teaching  received  at  Sunday  school;  they  know  no  reason 
why  he  should  do  these  things  and  they  do  not  give  him  the 
encouragement  or  the  assistance  that  he  needs. 

The  right  appeal  to  the  parents  will  dring  response.    In 

-  See  Chapter  XV  and  the  story  about  the  boy  who  wanted  to 
give  all  the  money  in  his  banlj  for  church  and  charitable  purposes. 


THE  DEPARTMENT  AND  THE  HOME  139 

some  way  the  home  must  be  made  to  understand  the  pur- 
pose of  the  Primary  Department,  the  reasons  for  and  the 
value  of  its  instruction,  activities,  worship,  and  of  the 
child's  response,  and  what  the  home  may  do  to  aid,  • 

When  a  teacher  has  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the 
parents  of  her  pupils,  much  may  be  accomplished  by  talk- 
ing over  the  purpose  of  instruction  in  the  Primary  Depart- 
ment and  the  responses  that  are  desired.  When  teachers 
and  parents  are  comparative  strangers,  it  is  wiser  to  hold 
a  parents'  and  teachers'  meeting  or  to  present  the  need 
of  the  department  for  the  cooperation  of  the  home  by 
means  of  a  circular  letter.  If,  after  the  meeting  or  letter, 
there  may  be  a  call  in  the  home,  conversation  will  follow 
about  the  child  and  what  the  Sunday  school  and  home  may 
do  for  him.  Parent-teacher  associations,  parents'  classes, 
mothers*  classes,  mothers'  monthly  or  quarterly  meetings, 
and  parents'  and  children's  birthday  socials  are  some  of  the 
means  for  bringing  parents  and  teachers  together  and 
making  an  interchange  of  ideas  and  help  possible.  A  pro- 
gram is  not  difficult  to  arrange.  A  chapter  in  a  book  on 
child  study  or  a  lesson  from  this  book  may  be  read  and  dis- 
cussed. An  address  may  be  given  by  the  primary  super- 
intendent or  a  primary  worker  from  some  other  church 
or  community.  For  music  the  primary  teachers  may  sing 
several  of  the  children's  songs  to  the  parents,  or  parents 
and  teachers  may  learn  a  song  soon  to  be  presented  to  the 
children.  Parents  should  be  able  to  ask  questions  and  to 
talk  together  about  the  child  in  the  home,  in  the  school, 
and  more  particularly  in  the  church  and  Sunday  school. 
The  meetings  may  be  conducted  like  classes  or  may  be 
informal,  like  socials.  They  may  be  held  in  the  Sunday- 
school  building  or  in  some  home.  Refreshments  may  be 
served  or  there  need  be  none.  A  fee  or  dues  may  be  asked 
to  cover  expenses,  or  these  may  be  met  from  school  funds. 
There  is  no  one  way  for  doing  any  of  these  things;  the 
method  that  brings^uccess  is  the  best  for  any  Primary  De- 
partment.    The  first  essential  is  for  the  Primary  Depart- 


140  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

ment  to  recognize  its  need  of  the  home.     To  indicate  this 
has  been  the  purpose  of  this  lesson. 

The  Lesson  Conttnued 

Some  parents  are  indifferent;  others  are  unable  to  at- 
tend meetings  or  to  give  attention  to  their  children.  Many- 
parents  feel  that  they  send  their  children  to  Sunday  school 
to  be  instructed  and  trained  in  religion,  and  that  the  re- 
sponsibility belongs  wholly  to  the  Sunday  school.  When 
these  conditions  exist,  what  may  the  Primary  Department 
do  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  child  in  relation  (1)  to  read- 
ing the  story  in  the  folder  and  learning  the  memory  verses? 
(2)  learning  the  correlated  lesson?  (3)  expressing  the  les- 
sons in  conduct  at  home,  at  play,  at  school  and  in  the  com- 
munity? (4)  securing  materials  for  scrapbook  and  gift 
work?  (5)  caring  for  and  serving  in  God's  house?  In  an- 
swering these  questions  the  teacher  will  find  it  an  aid  to 
recall  or  reread  preceding  lessons. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
THE    DEPARTMENT   ORGANIZED    FOR   WORK 

In  a  sense  the  whole  world  is  at  school  taking  lessons 
in  organization.  We  are  learning  that  the  success  of  any 
whole  depends  on  the  perfection  of  each  part,  the  degree 
of  perfection  with  which  the  parts  will  fit  together  to  con- 
stitute the  whole,  and,  finally,  the  assembling  of  the  parts 
in  such  a  way  that  they  are  brought  together  into  syste- 
matic connection  and  cooperation.  This  is  true  whether  the 
whole  is  a  machine,  a  financial  undertaking,  a  scheme  of 
betterment  for  a  people,  or  a  world  league  for  justice  and 
righteousness.  It  remains  to  apply  these  principles  to  in- 
timate and  personal-life  problems.  It  will  be  found  that 
they  have 'application  to  the  Primary  Department  of  the 
Sunday  school. 

1.  Department  and  school.  The  Primary  Department 
is  one-  division  of  the  church  school.  Occasionally  one  hears 
it  said,  as  if  in  criticism,  that  the  Primary  Department  has 
its  own  program  of  worship,  its  own  course  of  study,  and 
its  own  officers  and  teachers.  This  is  as  it  should  be,  for 
the  Primary  Department  is  a  part  of  the  school,  with  a 
definite  contribution  to  make  to  the  whole.  Its  task  is  to 
continue  the  training  and  instruction  begun  in  the  Begin- 
ners' Department  and  to  carry  the  pupil  forward  to  the 
place  where  he  is  ready  for  the  instruction  and  training 
of  the  department  higher  than  the  Primary.  Take,  for  ex- 
ample, the  course  of  study.  That  for  the  Primary  Depart- 
ment should  be  a  part  of  a  larger  scheme  of  instruction 
which  the  pupil  begins  in  the  Beginners'  Department  and 
in  which  he  may  continue  to  progress  until  he  completes 
it  in  the  Young  People's  Department.     It  is  obvious  that 

141 


142  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

if  the  primary  course  of  study  is  not  a  section  of  a  progres- 
sive course,  or  if  the  courses  for  the  departments  have  no 
relation  to  each  other,  there  is  no  organization  in  that 
school;  there  can  be  no  fitting  together  of  the  parts,  no 
building  up  of  the  whole,  no  one  aim  or  purpose  for  the* 
instruction,  and  therefore  no  unity.  This  principle  has 
similar  application  to  the  worship  and  activities.  Unless 
there  is  a  good  reason  why  it  should  be  otherwise — a  reason 
involving  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  primary  child — the 
Primary  Department  should  be  systematically  related  to 
other  departments  and  should  cooperate  with  them. 

2.  Organization  -wHlthin  the  department.  There 
should  be  organization  within  the  Primary  Department. 
Different  types  t)f  work  are  carried  on  within  the  depart- 
ment. There  is  the  instruction,  which  is  given  by  class 
teachers.  There  is  the  worship,  which  is  conducted  by  the 
superintendent  or  other  leader.  There  is  the  instrumental 
music,  which  is  played  by  the  pianist  or  organist.  There 
are  materials  for  handwork  and  teachers'  and  pupils'  les- 
son equipment,  which  must  be  received,  cared  for,  and  dis- 
tributed. There  are  attendance,  offering,  and  birthday 
records  to  be  kept.  Apply  the  principles  of  organization. 
It  becomes  apparent  that  there  is  need  in  the  Primary  De- 
partment of  some  one  who  understands  the  work  in  all 
its  details  and  relations  and  who  is  capable  of  directing 
and  unifying  the  parts.  The  one  to  undertake  the  super- 
vision should  possess  qualities  that  make  a  good  leader 
and  administrator.  The  title  of  "primary  superintendent" 
is  given  to  such  a  leader. 

Other  officers  besides  the  primary  superintendent  are 
needed.  One  of  these  is  the  department  secretary.  It  is 
the  secretary's  duty  to  keep  an  accurate  record  of  the  at- 
tendance and  to  report  absences  to  the  superintendent  or 
school  visitor.  Some  superintendents  keep  in  close  touch 
with  the  home  and  telephone  to,  correspond  with,  or  call 
upon  pupils  who  are  absent.  In  other  Primary  Depart- 
ments the  class  teachers  look  up  or  get  into  communication 


ORGANIZED  FOR  WORK  143 

with  absent  pupils.  In  still  other  departments  pupils  are 
called  upon  by  the  church  or  Sunday-school  visitor.  When 
post  cards  are  sent  to  a  pupil  who  has  been  absent  two 
Sundays  in  succession,  it  is  usually  the  department  secre- 
tary or  the  secretary's  assistant  who  does  this.^  The 
secretary  should  record  the  name  of  each  pupil,  his  age 
upon  entering  the  department,  the  date  of  his  birthday 
anniversary,  his  grade  in  public  school  from  year  to  year, 
his  address,  and  his  father's  name  or  initials.  The  card 
system  is  the  best  for  keeping  s«ch  a  record.  The  super- 
intendent or  secretary  should  keep  a  record  of  each  pupil's 
credits  and  the  progress  made  by  him  in  his  studies.  The 
reasons  for  keeping  such  a  record  are  given  in  Chapter  XXI, 
"Promotions  and  Promotion  Requirements."  If  the  teach- 
er's records  are  handed  in  and  filed  at  the  end  of  each 
quarter,  they  will  furnish  to  superintendent  or  secretary 
the  record  desired. 

The  easiest  way  to  keep  the  birthday  record  is  on  cards 
filed  in  a  card  catalogue  by  months  and  under  dates.  Each 
month  or  week  the  secretary  or  assistant  may  look  through 
the  cards,  learn  which  pupils  will  have  a  birthday  during 
the  coming  week,  and  hand  the  names  to  the  superintend- 
ent and  class  teachers.  The  weekly  attendance  may  be 
kept  in  a  book,  on  class  cards,  or  in  any  way  that  will 
insure  accuracy  and  ready  reference  and  that  will  give 
the  secretary  of  the  school  the  week  by  week  information 
he  desires.  If  the  department  is  large,  it  is  advisable  to 
have  assistants  to  the  secretary  or  a  committee  to  share 
the  work  and  responsibilities.  The  assistants  may  meet 
the  pupils  as  they  arrive  at  Sunday  school,  help  them  with 
their  outdoor  garments,  in  the  absence  of  the  secretary 
fill  that  position,  or  serve  as  substitute  teachers  in  addition 
to  helping  the  secretary  keep  and  perfect  her  records. 

The  office  of  musician  to  the  department  may  be  filled 


1  Absentee  cards  may  be  obtained  from  your  publisher.  They  are 
attractive  and  AAill  make  the  recipient  feel  that  he  is  really  wanted 
in  Sunday  school.     See  Appendix  B. 


144  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

by  a  teacher  or  substitute  teacher  or  by  a  pianist  or  organ- 
ist who  is  responsible  for  nothing  but  for  the  music.  The 
pianist  and  leader  of  the  children's  worship  should  work  in 
harmony  and  closest  cooperation.  The  leader  should  plan 
the  services  and  choose  the  songs  for  each  service,  but  the 
pianist  should  make  the  music  a  special  study,  discover 
new  songbooks  and  songs,  and  make  recommendations  to 
the  superintendent  or  leader  of  the  worship.  Each  week 
the  pianist  should  be  in  place  at  the  beginning  of  the  de- 
partment session  with  the«ongbooks  to  be  used  and  a  copy 
of  the  program  or  order  of  service  which  the  leader  will' 
follow.  Then  no  time  will  be  lost  in  beginning  the  session' 
or  in  passing  from  one  part  of  tTie  service  to  another.  If 
the  leader  of  the  worship  has  not  a  true  singing  voice,  or 
if  it  has  no  carrying  power,  and  if  the  pianist  cannot  play 
and  sing  at  the  same  time,  there  should  be  some  one  to 
lead  the  singing.  This  leader  may  be  a  teacher,  one  who 
serves  as  a  substitute  teacher,  a  member  of  the  work  com- 
mittee, or  one  who  has  no  duty  other  than  that  of  teach- 
ing and  helping  the  children  to  sing. 

Administrative  committees  have  their  advantages.  Of 
first  importance  is  the  work  committee.  The  members  of 
this  committee  receive,  file,  keep  in  order,  and,  in  some 
departments,  distribute  the  handwork  materials,  the  teach- 
ers' and  pupils'  equipment,  and  the  secretary's  supplies. 
In  other  departments  each  class  teacher  selects  the  hand- 
work material  that  she  will  require  for  the  lesson  period, 
the  pictures,  and  the  pupils'  supplies.  The  selection  is  made 
before  school.  At  the  close  of  the  session  each  teacher  re- 
turns the  materials  and  unused  lesson  helps  to  the  files 
or  supply  cupboards.  The  members  of  the  work  committee 
may  be  young  girls  who  are  in  training  for  teaching  in  the 
department,  teachers,  or  substitute  teachers. 

Other  committees  are  the  purchasing,  the  recruiting,  the 
visiting,  the  social,  and  special-day.  These  titles  indicate 
the  duties  of  the  committees.  The  department  superin- 
tendent should  be  a  member  of  all  committees,  assign  the 


ORGANIZED  FOR  WORK  14b 

duties  to  each,  and  be  the  one  to  whom  the  committees 
report. 

3.  Building  up  the  department.  There  should  be 
some  plan  for  recruiting  new  teachers  and  substitute  teach- 
ers. When  new  teachers  are  needed,  one  turns  first  to  the 
young  graduates  from  the  teacher-training  class  or  to  young 
seniors.  Most  young  girls  are  sympathetic  toward  child 
life  and  in  turn  are  found  lovable  and  imitable  by  chil- 
dren. They  are  quick  to  think  and  act  and  have  not  lost 
their  play  spirit.  If  there  may  be  developed  in  them  a 
feeling  of  responsibility,  a  true  appreciation  of  the  aim  of 
the  Primary  Department,  and  an  enthusiasm  for  primary 
work,  they  make  excellent  teachers.  If  among  them  are 
those  who  are  not  members  of  the  church,  it  is  advisable 
10  assign  them  to  first-  and  second-year  classes.  The  teach- 
ers of  the  third-year  boys  and  girls  should  be  those  whose 
religious  life  is  deep  and  strong,  for  the  older  primary 
pupils  are  influenced  as  much  by  a  teacher's  personality 
and  conduct  as  by  her  lessons. 

In  a  large  Primary  Department,  where  there  are  several 
classes,  it  is  advisable  to  have  several  persons  who  will 
substitute  when  called  upon.  In  some  departments  there 
are  as  many  substitute  teachers  as  class  teachers.  Each 
class  teacher  is  given  the  name,  address,  and  telephone 
number  of  the  teacher  upon  whom  she  may  call  in  case  of 
necessity.  The  substitute  teacher  has  a  copy  of  the  teach- 
er's textbook,  so  that  she  may,  unless  called  upon  just  be- 
fore school,  prepare  the  lesson  and  teach  it  effectively. 
These  substitute  teachers  are  young  mothers,  members  of 
adult  classes,  or  members  of  the  congregation  who  cannot 
attend  Sunday  school  regularly  but  will  teach  upon  occa- 
sion. 

In  a  small  Primary  Department  where  there  are  assist- 
ants to  the  secretary,  a  work  committee,  and  where  the 
pianist  and  leader  of  the  singing  will  act  as  substitutes,  it 
is  seldom  necessary  to  go  outside  of  the  department  for 
substitute  teachers.    When  there  are  these  assistants,  it  is 


146  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

advisable  to  assign  each  one  to  a  grade  and  to  provide  each 
with  a  textbook  for  lesson  preparation.  It  should  be  under- 
stood that  these  assistants  are  to  be  called  upon  only  when 
necessary  and  are  to  be  given  notice  in  time  to  prepare 
the  lesson.  One  of  the  requirements  for  teachers,  assistants, 
primary  superintendent,  and  other  officers  is  regularity  in 
attendance.  For  other  requirements  the  reader  is  referred 
to  preceding  lessons. 

The  Lesson  Continued 

1.  If  you  were  in  a  Sunday  school  that  was  to  be  newly 
organized  for  work  and  were  appointed  Primary  superin- 
tendent, what  would  you  aim  to  accomplish  for  the  pupils? 

2.  In  order  that  your  purpose  might  be  realized  in  the 
best  way,  what  equipment  would  you  ask  for  (1)  if  the 
school  was  a  small  one?     (2)   if  the  school  was  large? 

3.  How  would  you  organize  your  department  for  work? 
What  officers  and  committees  would  you  think  it  desirable 
to  have?  Make  a  plan  of  organization  for  a  department 
having  twenty  pupils,  and  another  plan  for  a  department 
having  one  hundred  pupils. 

4.  How  would  you  provide  for  substitute  teachers? 

5.  How  would  you  plan  to  keep  your  teachers  in  training? 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
WHERE  THE  RESPONSIBILITY  RESTS 

Old  conditions  are  passing  away.  War  has  carried  men 
and  women  to  mountaintops  and  given  them  a  vision  of  the 
walls  and  foundations  of  a  new  order.  Like  the  walls  of 
the  new^  Jerusalem  which  John  saw  coming  down  out  of 
heaven  from  God,  those  of  the  new  order  are  great  and  high. 
In  them,  as  a  part  of  their  construction,  are  all  manner 
of  precious  things — an  end  of  war,  justice,  brotherhood,  and 
righteousness,  burdens  shifted  from  shoulders  too  weak 
to  bear  them,  sickness  banished  and  health  established, 
life  lifted  and  made  a  joyous  thing,  boys  and  girls  playing 
in  city  streets  and  on  playgrounds,  peoples  won  to  Christ, 
and  the  earth  full  of  God's  glory. 

There  are  those  who  say  the  vision  is  too  fair,  that  it  can 
never  be  realized.  But  men  and  women  have  given  their 
lives  that  it  might  have  the  beginnings  of  reality.  Upon 
these  beginnings  foundations  are  being  laid.  From  among 
the  almost  numberless  lines  of  research  and  effort  let  us 
select  one — that  which  has  most  meaning  for  the  primary 
teacher. 

During  the  war  it  began  to  be  realized  that  the  children 
of  the  nation  are  its  greatest  asset.  The  examining  and 
testing  of  young  men  for  service  in  the  army  and  navy 
revealed  weaknesses  that  were  traceable  to  neglect  in  early 
childhood.  Governments  woke  to  the  astonishing  fact  that 
the  neglect  of  children  "was  silently  doing  damage  hardly 
less  great  than  enemy  invasion."  Plans  were  made  for 
reforms  to  be  instituted  in  child  welfare  and  educational 
systems  when  the  war  should  be  over.  In  the  United  States 
one  of  the  results  of  the  war  is  an  aroused  national  interest 
in  matters  affecting  children. 

147 


148  THE  PRIMARY  WORKER  AND  WORK 

Shortly  after  the  armistice  was  signed,  a  noble  group  of 
Americans  joined  with  representatives  from  Great  Britain, 
France,  Belgium,  Servia,  Italy,  and  Japan  "to  formulate 
standards  of  health,  of  nurture,  of  education,  and  a  protec- 
tion against  premature  labor  which  possibly  every  govern- 
ment ought  to  assure  to  every  child."*  Science  is  to  make 
it  possible  for  children  to  be  well-born,  to  have  health,  and 
to  have  their  powers  developed  to  the  fullest  capacity. 
Why?  That  the  children  may  contribute  to  the  success 
of  the  Nation. 

On  the  part  of  churches  such  movements  as  the  Cente- 
nary and  the  New  Era  have  been  instituted.  The  aim  is 
the  fulfilling  of  the  vision  of  all  peoples  brought  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  Christ.  The  hope  and  promise  of  its  consummation 
are  with  the  children;  and  it  is  now,  in  this  present  time, 
that  a  call  and  challenge  come  to  the  teacher. 

"And  he  gave  some  to  be  apostles;  and  some,  prophets; 
and  some,  evangelists;  and  some,  pastors  and  teachers." 
(Eph.  4.11.) 

"How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him 
that  bringeth  good  tidings,  that  publisheth  peace."  (Isa. 
52.7.) 

Religious  instruction  is  not  permitted  in  the  public 
schools.  It  is  only  in  the  exceptional  home  that  any  at- 
tempt is  made  to  give  systematic  and  continuous  religious 
instruction  needed  by  growing  children.  In  the  minds  of 
many  parents  there  is  uncertainty  and  confusion  as  to  what 
should  be  taught  and  as  to  how  religious  teaching  should 
be  given;  within  the  average  family  utterly  inadequate  at- 
tention is  given  to  religious  training.  Hence,  the  respon- 
sibility for  the  religious  education  of  the  child  rests  largely 
upon  the  church  and  upon  the  Sunday  school  and  upon  each 
individual  worker  in  it.  The  sense  of  personal  responsi- 
bility which  the  teacher  should  feel  is  not  to  be  a  burden; 
it  is  rather  a  challenge  which  should  spur  to  activity  and 


Magna   Charta   of   Childhood,   Chenery. 


WHERE  THE  RSEPONSIBILITY  RESTS  149 

lead  to  joyous,  consecrated  service  for  childhood's  and  the 
Master's  sake. 

1.  "What  is  required  in  a  teaclier.  There  are  certain 
qualities  that  a  child's  teacher  should  possess.  Among 
these  are  sympathy  for  child  life — the  ability  to  understand 
a  child's  point  of  view — and  the  motives  from  which  he 
acts,  and  a  love  for  children.  This  is  something  deeper  than 
affection  for  the  attractively  dressed,  dainty,  and  well- 
mannered  child;  it  is  a  love  that  prompts  concern  for  and 
a  mothering  of  the  unfortunate — the  boy  with  impudent 
ways,  grimy  hands,  worn  clothes,  and  stubbed-out  shoes, 
or  the  girl  whose  hair  is  untidy  and  who  tells  an  untruth 
to  avoid  censure.  The  ability  to  be  fair  or  just,  to  show 
no  partiality,  and  to  assure  to  each  child  his  rights  is  an- 
other desirable  trait  for  a  child's  teacher. 

There  are  certain  elements  of  character  that  are  desira- 
ble for  a  teacher.  This  is  for  the  reason  that  a  teacher 
teaches  directly  by  the  giving  of  instruction  and  also  by 
the  creating  of  environment  and  atmosphere  and  by  per- 
sonality. The  personality  of  a  teacher  is  the  whole  teacher 
teaching.  It  is  the  teacher's  faith  making  truth  vivid  and 
vital.  It  is  the  teacher's  character  imparting  ideals  to  the 
child.  It  is  the  teacher's  actions  set  up  as  a  model  for  the 
child  to  imitate. 

The  teacher  is  most  imitable  to  the  forming  mind.  The 
young  child  idealizes  his  teacher;  what  she  says  and  does 
are  just  right,  and  when  with  her  and  away  from  her  he 
imitates  her.  A  student  of  child  nature  has  said,  "In  so 
far  as  we  exert  unconscious  influence  over  [the  child] 
through  our  actions,  words,  and  even  our  thoughts,  and 
thus  affect  his  point  of  view,  we  must  realize  the  necessity 
of  a  high  standard  of  life  and  thought  for  ourselves. "- 

The  teacher's  preparation  for  teaching  should  be  con- 
tinuous. It  can  never  be  considered  completed.  Each  new 
class  will  bring  children  to  be  studied.     Each  year  will 


2  The  Dawn  of  Character,  Mumford. 


150  THE   PRIMARY  WORKER  AND   WORK 

bring  contributions  to  tbe  sciences  of  child  study  and 
pedagogy  and  will  show  applications  of  God's  Word  to  life. 
Methods  of  teaching  will  change;  courses  of  study  will 
change.  The  teacher's  attitude  should  be  one  of  recep- 
tivity to  that  which  is  new  and  approved;  her  aim  should 
be  to  find  and  use  the  best.  This  continued  study  will  be 
a  joy  if  her  purpose  is  to  be  a  coworker  with  God  and  to 
reach  and  affect  child  character  and  life. 

"Coworkers  we  with  him!     Were  he  to  ask, 
'Come,  star  with  me  the  spaces  of  my  night. 
Or  light  with  me  to-morrow's  sunset  glow. 
Or  fashion  forth  the  crystals  of  my  snow. 
Or  teach  my  sweet  June  roses  next  to  blow,' 
O  rare  beatitude!     But  holier  task, 
Of  all  his  works  of  beauty  fairest  high. 
Is  that  he  keeps  for  hands  like  ours  to  ply! 
When  he  upgathers  all  his  elements,- 
His  days,  his  nights,  whole    eons  of  his  June, 
The  Mighty  Gardener  of  the  earth  and  sky, 
That  to  achieve  toward  which  the  ages  roll. 
We  hear  the  Voice  that  sets  the  spheres  atune. 
Help  me,  my  comrades,  flower  this  budding  Soul!"' 


By   W.  C.  Gannett ;   used  by  permission. 


APPENDIX  A 

Standard   for   a   Primary   Department 

The  standard  for  a  Primary  Department  is  that  which 
it  is  possible  for  a  child  to  become  during  the  years  of  six, 
seven,  and  eight. 

What  the  child  becomes  manifests  itself  in  conduct. 


Conduct. 

I^     The  conduct  of  the  Primary  child  may  manifest: 

1.  Love,  trust,  reverence,  and  obedience  to  God  the 
Father  and  Jesus  Christ  the  Saviour.. 

2.  Recognition  of  the  heavenly  Father  in  daily  life. 

3.  Love  for  God  through  worship. 

4.  Love  and  reverence  for  God's  Book,  God's  day,  and 
God's  house. 

5.  Increasing  power  to  act  in  response  to  ever- 
enlarging  ideas  of  what  is  right  and  desirable. 

6.  Increasing  spirit  of  obedience  and  helpfulness. 

7.  Increasing  power  to  give  love  and  forget  self  in 
social  relations. 

Aims. 
II.     To  realize  these  ends  in  conduct  the  child  must  have: 

1.  A  knowledge  of  God  in  his  love,  care,  might,  and 
power  to  give  help   and  guidance. 

2.  A  consciousness  of  God  as  the  heavenly  Father 
and  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Helper  and  Saviour. 

3.  Experience  and  training  in  worship. 

4.  Happy  associations  with  God's  Book,  God's  day, 
and  God's  house. 

5.  Instruction  concerning  what  is  right  and  wrong, 
proper  examples,  and  opportunities  for  choosing 
the  right. 

151 


152  APPENDIX 

6.  Opportunities  for  helpfulness. 

7.  Opportunities  for  play  and  service  in  cooperation 
with  others. 

Ileans.^ 

III.     As  means  for  realizing  these  ends,  provision  should 
be  made  for: 

1.  Religious  instruction  and  religious  experience  suited 
to  the  children  of  Primary  age,  secured  through: 

(a)  The  use  of  Primary  Graded  Lessons. 

(b)  Graded  Primary  Supplemental  Lessons  with 
the  Uniform  Lessons  when  used. 

(c)  The  story  method,  with  pictures,  blackboard, 
and  illustrative  material. 

(d)  Graded  correlated  Missionary  instruction. 

(e)  Graded  correlated  Temperance  instruction. 

2.  Worship  which  expresses  the  child's  religious  feel- 
ing, secured  through: 

(a)  Appropriate   service   of  worship. 

(b)  Reverent  atmosphere  and  proper  environment. 

(c)  The  teacher's   spirit  and  manner. 
^  (d)   Contact  with  nature. 

3.  An  environment  which  inspires  order  and  rever- 
ence, and  is  conducive  to  worship  and  work,  se- 
cured by: 

(a)  A  separate  room  (curtained  or  screened  place, 
where  a  room  is  not  available),  light,  and  well 
ventilated. 

<b)  Attractive  decoration  and  arrangements. 

(c)   Comfortable  chairs  and  class  tables. 

<d)  Adequate  material  for  teachers  and  children. 

(e)  A  separate  program  for  entire  session,  where 
room  is  available. 

4.  Opportunities  for  self-expression  alone  and  with 
others,  secured  through: 

(a)  Worship  in  song,  prayer  and  Scripture. 

(b)  Conversation,  retelling  of  stories,  recalling 
memory  verses,  and  hand  work. 


APPENDIX  153 

(c)  Giving  whicti  includes  Missionary  offerings. 

(d)  Unselfishness,  self-control  and  acts  of  service. 

5.  Teachers  qualified  by  nature,  training  and  religious 
experience,  that  is,  teachers  who 

(a)  Possess  a  sympathetic  understanding  of  child- 
life. 

(b)  Have  a  personality  attractive  and 'helpful  to 
children. 

(c)  Seek  frequent  contact  with  little  children  in 
their  home,  school,  and  play  life. 

(d)  Are  graduates  or  students  in  a  Training 
Course,  a  Community  Training  School,  or  a 
School  of  Principles  and  Methods. 

(e)  Are  continuing  their  specialized  training  in  a 
Graded  Union  or  by  the  reading  of  one  spe- 
cialization book  a  year. 

(f)  Lead    a   sincere   Christian   life. 

6.  Children  six,  seven,  and  eight  years  of  age  grouped 
into  a  class  or  department,  according  to  age,  inter- 
est, and  ability: 

(a)  In  a  small  school  a  Primary  Class  separate 
from  other  classes. 

(b)  In  a  larger  school,  a  Primary  Department, 
with  a  superintendent,  officers,  class  teachers, 
and  classes  comprising  not  more  than  eight 
children. 

(c)  Class  groups: 

1.  Children  approximately  six  years  years  »f 
age  in  first-year  class  or  grade. 

2.  Children  approximately  seven  years  of  age 
in  second-year  class  or  grade. 

3.  Children  approximately  eight  years  of  age 

in  third-year  class  or  grade. 

(d)  Promotion  of  children  from  grade  to  grade 
within  the  department;  graduation  from  the 
Third  Grade  into  the  Junior  Department,  with 
recognition  on  the  annual  promotion  day. 


APPENDIX  B 

Primary  Picture   Sets 

Primary  Picture  Set,  No.  1.  The  pictures  of  this  set  are 
thirty  in  number;  size  8  by  10  inches.  They  are  for  use 
with  Bible  lessons,  but  with  a  few  exceptions  they  are 
not  biblical  in  subject.  Their  purpose  is  not  to  illustrate 
the  Bible  story,  but  to  help  the  child  to  relate  the  story 
and  its  truth  to  his  own  life,  that  he  may  act  in  response 
to  it.    They  are  not  sold  singly  or  in  parts. 

Primary  Picture  Set,  No.  2.  The  pictures  of  this  set  are 
thirty-two  in  number.  They  are  provided  especially  for 
use  with  the  lessons  of  Year  Two,  but  many  of  them 
may  be  used  with  other  lessons  of  the  Primary  Course. 
They  should  be  mounted  attractively^  that  they  may  be 
preserved  for  permanent  use.  The  pictures  are  sold  only 
in  complete  yearly  sets. 

Primary  Picture  Set,  No.  3.  The  pictures  of  this  set  are 
twenty-four  in  number.    They  are  provided  especially  for 

•  use  with  the  lessons  of  Year  Three,  but  many  of  them  may 
be  used  with  other  lessons  of  the  Primary  Course.  They, 
together  with  the  pictures  of  Primary  Sets  No.  1  and  No. 
2,  are  of  a  size  that  may  be  handled  by  the  pupils. 

Primary  Missionary  Picture  ^et.    The  pictures  of  this  set 
are  twelve  in  number.  They  are  provided  for  use  with  the 
missionary  lessons  in  Year  Two,  Part  Three,  but  may  be 
used  with  other  lessons  of  the  Primary  Course. 
154 


APPENDIX  155 

Cards 

Birthday  Cards:     Form  L,     Sixth  Birthday   (girls) — Girls 

carrying  bunches  of  flowers. 

Form  M.     Sixth  Birthday  (boys) — Boys  waving  banner. 

Form  N.  Seventh  Birthday  (girls) — Folding  card.  Bas- 
ket of  violets. 

Form  0.  Seventh  Birthday  (boys) — Folding  card.  Three 
^oys  on  roller  skates. 

Form  P.  Eighth  Birthday  (girls) — Envelope  card.  Four 
leaf  clover  seal.  Tinted  stock.  Verses  illuminated  in 
gold. 

Form  Q.  Eighth  Birthday  (boys) — Envelope  card. 
Tinted  stock.  Birthday  cake  seal.  Verses  illuminated 
in  gold. 

Absentee  Post  Cards.  A  new  series  of  Absentee  Post  Cards, 
beautifully  illustrated  in  colors,  has  been  prepared.  These 
will  appeal  to  the  pupils  and  increase  the  attendance. 

Record  of  Credit 

Primary  Record  of  Credit.  For  use  in  the  Primary  Depart- 
ment in  connection  with  the  International  Graded  Lessons. 
A  four-page  folder  for  the  use  of  teachers  in  recording 
the  work   accomplished  by  the  pupil. 


INDEX 

Action,  a  revealer  of  character,  49 ;  necessity  of,  97 

Aim  or  purpose,  52 

Barclay,  Wade  Crawford,  cited,  49 

Bible  stories  and  verses,  choosing  of,  57 

Brown,  Arlo  A.,  cited,  49 

Busy  work,  attractive  to  children,  93 

Birthday  service,  the,  108,  112 

Chenery,  Susan,  quoted,  148 

Child,  choices  made  by  the,  35;  directions  and  suggestions 
needed  by,  35;  questions  asked  by,  36;  entrance  of  into 
Primary  Department  of  public  school,  39;  suggestibility 
of  the,  42;  natural  qualities  of,  48;  must  be  known  by 
teacher,  49;  initiative  of,  53;  meeting  the  needs  of,  57; 
value  of  Bible  verses  to,  58;  age  of  for  entering  Primary 
Department,  60;  love  of  for  a  story,  62;  effect  of  a  story 
on  the,  64;  guiding  the  impulse  of,  96 

Children,  individual  differences  in,  22-26;  home  training 
reflected  in,  40;  inevitably  suggestible,  44;  observed  at 
play,  47 

Christmas  time,  43 

Childhood,  interests  of,  53 

Closing  service,  the,  109 

Characters,  Christian,  46 

Construction  work,  90 

Crayons,  colored,  loved  b*  children,  91 

Curiosity,  46;  appeal  to,  52 

Dewey,  John,  quoted,  80 

Discovery,  the  child's  beginning  at,  30;  imitation  a  form 
of,  32 

Experience,  school,  as  a  regular  influence,  39 

Expression,  importance  of,  54 
.     157 


158  INDEX 

Feeling  and  impulse,  significance  of,  95 

Feelings,  appreciation  of  the,  72 

Galloway,  Thomas  Walton,  quoted,  47,  65 

Handwork  as  a  method  of  teaching,  85;  desirable  forms  of, 
90;  how  to  test  value  of,  92;  directing  the,  93 

Habits,  right,  49 

Holy  Land,  knowledge  of  the,  74 

Home,  cooperation,  enlisting,  137 

Home  work,  awakening  interest  in,  136 

Home,  the,  an  agency  of  training,  40 

Interest,  the  vital  factor,  123;  how  to  maintain,  124;  ex- 
ample of,  126;  aids  to,  127 

Imitate,  the  tendency  to,  43 

Individualism,  development  of,  34 

Instruction,  progress  in,  55 

Interest,  child's,  necessity  of  first  winning,  15 

Insti'uction,  religious,  60;  different  kinds  of  in  Sunday 
school,  108 

Kirkpatrick,  Edwin  A.,  quoted,  32,  33,  34;  cited,  41 

Lesson,  a,  considered  in  relation  to  results  accomplished,  18; 
the  way  in  which  is  begun  and  ended,  19 

Memory  verses,  suitable,  58 

Life,  importance  of  first  three  years  of,  34 

McKeever,  William  A.,  85 

Materials,  choice  of,  89 

McMurray,  Charles  Alexander,  quoted,  68,  69 

Mental  life,  beginnings  of,  30 

Mumford,  E.  E.  R.,  quoted,  149 

Nurture,  effect  of  on  child  development,  34 

Obedience,  should  be  learned  by  child,  35         * 

O'Shea,  William,  quoted,  95 

Offering  service,  the,  107  ■• 

Period,  the  presocial,  32;  primary,  41 

Persons,  the  influence  of,  41 

Picture,  a,  use  of  in  teaching,  16;  how  to  judge  a,  82 

Pictures,  why  used,  77;  how  used,  78 

Plockhorst,  cited,  79 


INDEX  159 

Promotion,  130 

Promotion  Day,  136 

Play,  continuous  occupation  of  child,  35 

Primary  child,  the,  in  the  making,  30 

Purpose,  definite,  a,  47 

Primary  Department,  story  of  class  in,  9;  lesson  teaching 
in,  55;  course  of  study  in,  58;  worship  in,  100;  one  di- 
vision of  the  school,  141;  organization  within,  the,  142; 
building  up  the,  145;   standard  for  a,  151 

Primary  picture  sets,  154 

Programs,  examples  of,  105-114 

Progressive  course  of  study,  importance  of,  60 

Room,  Primary,  equipment  of,  115;  a  remodeled,  117;  orderli- 
ness in,  119;  adequate  equipment  of,  120;  securing  needed 
equipment,  121 

Ruskin,  quoted,  82 

Right  appeal,  importance  of,  46 

Self-activity,  arousing  the  child's,  16 

Self,  development  of  consciousness  of,  34 

Stage,  imitating  and  socializing,  32;  socializing  discussed, 
33 

Stories,  acquiring  power  to  tell,  69 

St.  John,  E.  P.,  cited,  35;  quoted,  75 

Sunday  school,  questions  relative  to  teaching  in,  13,  20,  27, 
37,  44,  50,  55,  61,  66,  70,  83,  88,  99,  109,  114,  122;  sugges- 
tions relative  to  Primary  Department  in,  94,  104,  128,  135 

Story,  the  interest  in,  17;  suggesting  name  for  the,  18; 
impulses  aroused  by,  64;  appeal  and  power  of,  67;  must 
be  studied,  72;  must  be  complete  in  detail,  73;  prepara- 
tion for  telling  the,  73;  make-up  of  the,  74 

Story-teller,  the,  requirements  in,  67;  qualities  needed  by,  68 

Sympathy,  the  influence  of,  41 

Tendencies,  innate,  44 

Teacher,  attitude  and  manner  of,  10;  tested  by  children,  11; 
skilled,  an  hour  with,  15;  characteristics  recognized  by, 
34;  ideals  of,  40;  what  is  required  of  a,  149 

Teachers,  methods  of  contrasted,  86 


160  INDEX 

Teaching,  importance  of  preparation  for,  11;  first  experi- 
ence in,  11 

Valentine's  Day,  advantage  taken  of,  54 

Vocabulary,  how  obtained,  67 

Word-picturing,  67 

Words,  new  and  unfamiliar,  67 

Worship,  significance  of  children's,  100;  training  children 
in,  101;  primary  service  of,  107 

Teaching,  method  of,  influenced  by  knowledge,  26;  use  of 
pictures  in  primary,  77 

Themes,  progress  by,  58 


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